After 7-4 season, Penguins going on the defensive

YSU must replace eight defensive starters from last year’s team.

By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State will probably have its fewest number of local recruits in many years today, when high school standouts and transfers can officially sign letters of intent.

The Penguins have just two locals players from the Valley on their list of 18 recruits, safety Gary Thornton of East High and Poland lineman Bill Dugan.

Youngstown State finished 7-4 last season and must replace eight defensive starters, including all three linebackers.

Not surprisingly, then, 10 of the Penguins’ 18 recruits are on the defensive side of the ball. Four of them are linebackers.

Thornton (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) was a first-team All-Ohio selection at linebacker for the Panthers, but with his size will probably be moved over to safety at YSU, another area of need. The Penguins must replace their top three players in the secondary.

Dugan (6-5, 300) was named second-team All-Ohio as an offensive tackle. YSU coach Jon Heacock hopes Dugan will provide depth right away to an offensive line that lost three seniors — all of whom started at some point — from the 2007 team.

His high school coach, Mark Brungard, who led YSU to the 1994 Division I-AA national championship, said he believes Dugan made the right choice.

“He’s a good fit for the Penguins’ line,” Brungard said. “He’s very smart and has size, but he’s probably going to need a year to get ready for college football. A super nice kid and a fierce competitor and he was voted team captain by his teammates.”

Fourteen of the 18 players the Penguins are signing today are freshmen. Two others are junior college transfers who will have immediate eligibility with two years remaining, and two are Division I transfers.

The latter, junior tailback Dana Brown from Iowa and junior quarterback Brandon Summers from Toledo, enrolled at YSU for the spring semester and will take part in spring practice.

The two junior college recruits are junior linebacker Draye Ersary (6-0, 220), a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who originally enrolled at Mesa (Colo.) State then transferred to the College of the Desert (Calif.), and junior wide receiver Donald Jones (6-0, 200) from Plainfield, N.J., who attended Lackawanna (Pa.) Junior College.

Two of the Penguins’ other freshmen recruits were selected All-Ohio last fall: defensive back Bryan Gaiters of Zanesville, who was a first-team selection at running back and named East District co-offensive player of the year in Division II. He was also a finalist for Mr. Football.

The other is 6-5, 270 pound offensive lineman Andy Kowicki of Parma Normandy High, who was a second-team Division II All-Ohio choice last season.

Sticking with their tradition of bringing in standout players from Florida, the Penguins have two on this year’s list, linebacker Deonta Tate (6-0, 215) of Palmetto, and defensive lineman Joe Marshall (6-2, 320) from Clearwater.

The Penguins also have three recruits from Virginia and one from Georgia. Another recruit is 6-3, 235 defensive end Noah Taylor from Pittsburgh Woodland Hills, whose brother Jason has played the last 12 years with the Miami Dolphins.

mollica@vindy.com