YSU nearing spring finish

Youngstown State wraps up spring football practice this week under the guidance of first-year coach Jon Heacock.
The Penguins have practices Tuesday afternoon and Thursday night before concluding drills Friday night with the Red and White Game at Stambaugh Stadium at 7 p.m.
Heacock has been pleased with the progress his team has made over the past three weeks, covering 12 practice sessions, but he added that the team still has a long way to go before August 30 -- the 2001 season opener against Lock Haven.
For the most part, what Heacock found out about the Penguins this spring he already knew.
With 23 seniors, 42 lettermen and 20 starters returning, Heacock knew that he had experience coming back at almost every position and that he had a lot of talented players.
What Heacock didn't know was just how the team would adjust to a relatively new coaching staff. More specifically, with him and not Jim Tressel running the show.
Overseer: Heacock has been obviously taking a back seat this spring from hands-on coaching duties. He has become an overseer and most times he could be found standing on the field far removed from the action.
Heacock will be the first to admit that he is still learning about the job and he's trying to take in just as much as he possibly can this spring. Especially on the offensive side of the football, where he has spent very little time throughout his coaching career.
Heacock plans on returning to active, on-the-field coaching when practice resumes in August and he expects to have an active hand with the defensive unit, his specialty.
"I've purposely stayed back and out of the way this spring, but in the fall I plan to do a lot more, especially with the defense," Heacock said.
With 12 starters returning on offense and seven more, plus a lot of talented underclassmen, on defense, Heacock can afford to stand back and watch this spring.
Even without three-year starter Jeff Ryan at quarterback, the YSU offense has looked much improved this spring, and if or when Ryan returns it can only get better.
Heacock's decision to bring back offensive coordinator John Klacik was one of the key moves for the coming season. Klacik had nothing but success with the offense when he was here for 11 seasons prior to his one-year stint at Wake Forest.
New addition Brian Wright seems to know his stuff with the quarterbacks and it's obvious in the improvement of Colby Street and Ben Bair from the start of spring until now.
Klacik has made the offensive line a key factor again and the Penguins running game appears to be returning again because of this.
Defensively there is a lot of talent on that side of the football, especially at linebacker and defensive back, if some of the youngsters come around on the front line, that unit will once again be a force to deal with.
Question marks: One question mark still lies with the kicking game. Sophomore Jake Stewart seems more confident, but he's still missing from all ranges, while sophomore punter Kosta Karapetsas has only punted one time under game conditions and is untested.
The other question mark is Ryan, the senior from Boardman, who has had off-season surgery on his shoulder and has had his right arm in a cast for nearly three months trying to improve an injured wrist.
If he comes back healthier than he's been the past two years, then the Penguins should be the favorite to win their first Gateway Conference championship.
If he doesn't, then it could turn into a very interesting season.
XPete Mollica covers YSU for The Vindicator.