YOUNGSTOWN
In just two weeks, Youngstown State’s freshmen running backs have gone from no-names to know-names.
So far, the smallest one has made the biggest impact.
“Jody Webb, you see what he can do,” YSU coach Eric Wolford said after Saturday’s scrimmage at Stambaugh Stadium. “He’s doing some good things.”
Webb, a redshirt freshman walk-on, originally signed with Toledo in 2012 after twice earning All-Ohio honors at Toledo Whitmer. But when he saw he wasn’t going to play right away, he chose to take a grayshirt, delaying his enrollment until January.
He was vague about what happened after that — “I had difficulties with communication,” he said — but, regardless, he never joined the team. At the same time, he realized he wanted to get away from home and it helped that one of his mentors, Todd Smith, lived in the Youngstown area.
“I really didn’t want to be in Toledo but I did pretty well in school and I have family around here, so I said maybe I’ll try to walk on to Youngstown State,” Webb said. “When I first came and looked at the facility, I felt really good about it. And when I first met the players, it really felt like everybody was one.
“It felt like it was home and that was really what I was looking for. It felt like a brotherhood.”
Webb (5-9, 170) ran for 1,539 yards and 30 TDs as a senior at Whitmer in 2011, helping the Panthers go 13-0 before falling to Cleveland St. Ignatius in the Division I state semifinals.
He’s sort of a hybrid between Demond Hymes (who has a good mix of speed and strength) and wideout Andre Stubbs (who is undersized but lightning-quick) and, like fellow freshmen running backs Ryan Mosora (Brookfield) and Martin Ruiz, he gives the Penguins a home run threat.
“They’re a different type of back than we’ve had here in the past,” Wolford said. “Jody Webb can go house on you, Martin Ruiz can go house on you, Mosora can go house on you.
“We have unbelievable speed in our backfield right now.”
Last year’s starting running back, Jamaine Cook, is gone after three straight 1,000-yard seasons. This year’s starter, Hymes, spent Saturday’s scrimmage on crutches after rolling his ankle in practice last week. Hymes’ main backup, Torrian Pace, got his bell run on a blitz pick-up and had to be helped off the field, and the other senior returnee, Adaris Bellamy, has battled injuries throughout his career.
In short, there are some opportunities for the younger backs. And Webb has taken advantage.
“I’m just kind of getting the rust off,” Webb said. “There’s a couple guys ahead of me [on the depth chart] but right now I’m learning, so I don’t have a problem with that. I’m trying to find my spot here.”
The three freshmen are still working on pass protection — Cook’s blocking ability was a big reason why he rarely left the field the past three years — but there’s little doubt about their ability to run the ball.
Ruiz ran for 1,237 yards and 13 TDs at Robinson High in Tampa, Fla., last year while Mosora ran for more than 4,000 yards and 50 TDs the past two years with the Warriors.
“That stable of backs is something we’ve always had since I’ve been here,” YSU quarterback Kurt Hess said. “I’m a lucky guy.”
