Both lines have plenty of experienced players
By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
On one of the coldest days of the winter, I was walking to my car in a Youngstown State parking lot when I saw junior quarterback Tanner Garry.
“You need to write a story about me,” he said. “I was voted preseason All-American as a holder.”
While I haven’t been able to verify that independently — Phil Steele’s spring college football preview only had FBS teams — Garry wants you to know that you can breathe easy: YSU is set at that position.
As for the rest, here’s a look at the roster after nine spring practices.
Quarterback
Projected starter: Sophomore Hunter Wells
Outlook: Wells started the final six games of last season and finished second in the conference freshman of the year voting. Considering that YSU offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery is back, and that Bo Pelini has raved about Wells so far this spring, it’s a safe bet that he’ll start the opener at Pitt (barring injury). Sophomore Ricky Davis has a big arm and good athleticism, but he’s been way too inconsistent this spring. Garry is a solid third-stringer.
Running back
Projected starter: Junior Martin Ruiz
Outlook: Ruiz is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and looked terrific in YSU’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday. Junior Jody Webb has been banged up this spring and didn’t play on Saturday, but he’s a talented No. 2. Last year’s third-stringer, sophomore Ryan Moore, is out with an ACL injury, which means more reps for senior Demond Hymes, who looked mostly average in Saturday’s scrimmage. He needs to take advantage of this opportunity.
Wide receiver/tight end
Projected starters: Senior WR Andrew Williams, senior WR Andre Stubbs, junior TE Jacob Wood.
Outlook: Sophomore Jaylon Brown, who played in just four games last season, started at the No. 3 wide receiver spot in the scrimmage, but senior Kintrell Disher and sophomore I’tavious Harvin also got plenty of playing time. Disher missed last season while recovering from an ACL injury and is moving back to receiver (his original position) from tight end. Harvin was YSU’s second-leading kick returner last season and made a couple nice plays in the scrimmage. Wood has looked good this spring, which is good since he’s the only experienced tight end on the roster.
Offensive line
Projected starters: Senior T Trevor Strickland, sophomore T Justin Spencer, junior Gs Dylan Colucci and Brock Eisenhuth, sophomore C Cole Newsome.
Outlook: Four of the five starters are back, with Newsome getting the early nod to replace the graduated Stephen Page in the middle. This unit has battled injuries this spring, with Spencer and Colucci sitting out Saturday’s scrimmage. Sophomore T Cameron Fraser started for Spencer on the right side, while junior G Matt Bell and redshirt freshman Steven Jeffries both saw time with the starters in Colucci’s place.
Defensive line
Projected starters: Senior DE Terrell Williams, senior DTs Emmanuel Kromah and Steve Zaborsky, junior DE Derek Rivers.
Outlook: YSU lost just one starter from this unit (DT Octavius Brown) but got a high-profile transfer in junior DE Avery Moss (who played for Pelini at Nebraska). Add in senior DE Eric Myers and this should be the strength of the defense, if not the whole team. This group overwhelmed YSU’s beat-up offensive line at times on Saturday.
Linebackers
Projected starters: Senior Dubem Nwadiogbu, junior Jaylin Kelly.
Outlook: YSU mostly played nickel last season and in Saturday’s scrimmage, so these two will see most of the playing time. Nwadiogbu led the team in tackles last season with 104 — 13 more than graduated safety Donald D’Alesio, who was second — and deserved better than honorable mention all-conference.
Defensive backs
Projected starters: Senior CB Kenneth Durden, junior CB David Rivers, senior S Tre’ Moore, junior S Jameel Smith
Outlook: Moore missed the scrimmage with a hamstring injury, but he played well after earning a starting spot early last fall. Durden sat out last season after transferring from South Florida but has a ton of talent and potential. Senior CB Eric Thompson and junior CB Deion Hall started in the scrimmage. Pelini has vowed to fix this unit, which has mostly struggled the past five seasons. Some of that was due to the scheme — the DBs were instructed to give plenty of cushion, while Pelini said he’ll play more press coverage while providing safety help — but not all of it. This is one of the biggest question marks on the roster.
Special teams
Projected starters: Senior holder Tanner Garry. (After that, who knows?)
Outlook: Sophomore Connor McFadden (Poland) has the early edge at kicker and he made a 37-yard field goal early in practice. True freshman Zak Kennedy, who was playing at Cardinal Mooney last fall, hit the right goal post on his first extra point attempt, then made his next. Redshirt freshman Vlassios Pizanias (Hubbard) has seen time at kicker and punter and has shown a big leg, but needs to be more consistent. Same with redshirt freshman Nick Sheely (Fitch). None of the kickers/punters had a particularly good scrimmage. As for the return game, Durden, Harvin and Stubbs got the bulk of the work on Saturday.
