By John Ostapowicz
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Youngstown State University football team had only four wins in 2024, but coach Doug Phillips is taking steps to return the Penguins to the playoffs this season.
Since January, Phillips and his staff have recruited players through the NCAA transfer portal, added local talent and hired a slew of position coaches as well as a new offensive coordinator.
Phillips also worked on the team’s development on the field and in the locker room. As the season nears, he’s excited about how the athletes’ hard work will translate onto the field.
“Our kids are focused, they’re locked in, we have a great locker room, and I always believe you got to win in the locker room before you win on the field,” Phillips says. “I’m excited to see this group of young men take to the Ice Castle and represent Youngstown, Youngstown State and the Mahoning Valley.”
An important offseason move for the Penguins was the hiring of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich. He became the team’s new play caller with the departure of former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Troy Rothenbuhler, who took the same position at Robert Morris University.
With 25 years of collegiate coaching experience and a former stint as offensive coordinator at Penn State, the hope is for Yurcich to help elevate the Penguins offense.
Yurcich’s arrival has already impacted one player in particular: junior quarterback Beau Brungard. With 11 interceptions last season and a 66.5% completion percentage, Brungard is working with his new coach to improve his on-field decision making.
“My football IQ has just gone up,” Brungard says. “That’s most of it and footwork as well. When you have sloppy footwork, the balls are going to be a little inaccurate, but a combination of that is definitely going to help in this next year.”
New Players
With several players returning from last year’s squad, the team also added 27 freshmen and a host of new players from the transfer portal.
Standout senior wide receiver Max Tomczak returns for another season as the team’s receiving corps saw drastic improvements over the offseason.
Junior Kylon Wilson joins the program after two seasons with Slippery Rock University. At SRU, Wilson recorded 2,438 all-purpose yards between fielding kickoffs, catching passes and running the ball. In 2024, he returned 32 kickoffs for 842 yards and a touchdown on special teams, while on offense he caught 57 passes for 637 yards.
YSU also recruited another member of the SRU program in senior Mike Solomon. The Rock’s leading receiver joins the Penguins after a breakout year. He appeared in 14 games and hauled in 56 receptions for 786 yards to go along with eight touchdowns.
The team lost redshirt sophomore Cyrus Traugh through the transfer portal to West Virginia University. He caught 36 passes for 409 yards to go along with five touchdowns.
In response to new and returning talent on the team, Brungard says there will be a lot of competition on offense and talented receivers.
“We’ve got tremendous athletes in that room, and it’s just a bunch of competition, which is only going to push them more to learn the playbook,” he says. “I don’t think we’ll be short of good receivers on this team right now.”
In the passing attack, Phillips says he has full faith that the offense is moving in a positive direction as a unit, eliminating mistakes, solidifying route running and ensuring clear communication.
“We’re finding the strengths of what [Brungard] can do, how he can throw the ball, which is most successful eliminating those mistakes,” Phillips says. “There’s nobody that wants to throw an interception, but in the same sense, I don’t want you to be fearful either of throwing that ball downfield.”
Top Returners
Despite a down year for the program, several players excelled at their positions.
Brungard recorded 998 rushing yards, threw for over 2,100 yards and combined for 28 total touchdowns in his first season as a starter.
Tomczak, who cemented himself as a reliable target on offense, finished the season with 73 receptions for 904 yards and four touchdowns.
The dual rushing threat of senior Ethan Wright and Brungard also return for the 2025 season. Last year, the pair combined for over 1,600 yards on the ground.
Since transferring to YSU from the University of Cincinnati in 2024, Wright was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team, rushed for 677 yards on 136 attempts and scored four touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes for 114 yards.
The team’s offensive line returns a majority of its starters despite the loss of third-team All-American selection Jaison Williams to the New York Giants in the NFL.
Phillips brought in junior Isaac Perkins from Colgate University to help bolster the offensive line. In two seasons with Colgate, the 6-foot 4-inch guard played in 20 games.
The line returns Honorable Mention All-MVFC selection Desmeal Leigh, a junior, who started 12 games at left tackle for the Penguins. This season, junior Van Keen made the switch from left guard to center after eight starts at the position during MVFC play.
The defensive backfield added talent through the transfer portal with the addition of senior Dayne Hodge from the University of Tulsa. In three seasons with the Golden Hurricanes, Hodge played in 28 games, recording 117 total tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Senior defensive back Dathan Hickey also returns from a season-ending injury after transferring from Yale in 2024.
YSU has found success in its transfers, most notably with senior defensive back DJ Harris, who transferred from Tiffin University in 2024. He finished the season as Youngstown State’s leading tackler with 56 total tackles. Harris also led the team in solo tackles with 35.
New Identity
Heading into the 2025 season, Harris says new players, coaches and offseason work gave the team a new identity to help build on last year’s 4-8 record.
“Coming off last season, a lot of people counted us out or undermined us as a team. We’re going to rise to a standard of what the program is and just give the team a different look and a new identity,” Harris says.
The team also excelled on special teams led by FCS Punter of the Year award recipient Brendon Kilpatrick.
Junior kicker Andrew Lastovka also looks to build from last year’s season after he recorded a career-long 51-yard field goal against the University of Northern Iowa.
The preseason poll for the tough MVFC placed the Penguins fifth out of its 10 teams. In 2024, YSU finished 3-5 in conference play.
The Penguins begin their season at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 against Mercyhurst University at Stambaugh Stadium. The game will be heard on 570 WKBN radio and broadcasted on ESPN+.
The contest will mark the first time YSU is playing the Lakes since the team moved up from Division II to Division I.
Also on the schedule is a bout with Michigan State University at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13. The contest will be streamed live on the Big Ten Network.
YSU opens MVFC play at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 against South Dakota State University at home.
Tickets for home games can be purchased at the YSU Ticket office or online at ysusports.com.
Pictured at top: Junior quarterback Beau Brungard eyes receiver before snap.