Sunday, March 29, 2009
By Pete Mollica
Head coach Jon Heacock will assume the duties of defensive coordinator this season.
YOUNGSTOWN — The 2008 Youngstown State football season was a difficult one for head coach Jon Heacock, his staff and players. The entire Penguins football family is looking for some major improvements for the upcoming 2009 campaign.
All the work will get under way on Monday morning when the Penguins open spring practice at Stambaugh Stadium at a new and very early 7 a.m. start.
The Penguins struggled through a 4-8 season a year ago, including 3-5 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Injuries, defections and a lot of difficult times hampered the Penguins in 2008 and Heacock, who begins his ninth season as head coach, is looking for some major improvements.
One of the biggest changes for 2009 will be that Heacock will take over as the team’s defensive coordinator, a position that he held for six seasons with the Penguins before taking over as head coach.
During Heacock’s reign as defensive coordinator the Penguins won three of their four national championships.
“I’m excited about it,” Heacock said. “The most difficult part will be to manage being both head coach and defensive coordinator. I really didn’t realize how much I missed it.
“We’re not going to make a big bunch of changes from what we’ve been doing in the past, the big thing is that we want to stay healthy,” he said.
Heacock said that going into spring practice the emphasis will be on who wants to make the team roster come fall.
“Our roster next fall will be made up of people who want to work hard and who want to be there and do things the way we want them done,” Heacock said. “I don’t care if I have only 40 players, but I’m going to have 40 players who want to be here doing what we want to do.”
Heacock said that last season was a very difficult one, but it also was one that because of injuries saw a lot of players get a lot of playing time.
The Penguins lettered 65 players in 2008 and 45 of those will be returning this season.
“Maturity is going to be the key to this season, just how fast those youngsters grow up and we are emphasizing growing up all spring,” Heacock said.
“At this point in time, we really don’t know just what change we will be making in the program,” he said. “I know that my emphasis is not on the Xs and Os of the game. It will be on how we play the game.
“I’m hoping to bring an attitude to the defense because defense is all about attitude,” he said. “Right now, every position on the team has a coach and it is my job to organize that group.”
Heacock brought in two new defensive coaches to the staff in Youngstown’s own Michael Zordich as the new coach of the safeties and Benyard Jones as the new defensive line coach.
“Both of those guys believe in all the same things that I believe in and I’m very happy to have them both on board,” he added.
Heacock will welcome some 85 players to the opening session.
“We’ve decided to go early in the mornings because it was just too difficult to get everybody together for the afternoon sessions because of class schedules,” Heacock said.
“We’ve been doing this since we started out winter program in January and it was worked out very well,” Heacock said. “Oh the kids complained a little at first about the early starts, but they’ve adjusted and it really has been working out very well.
“In the past, it has been a nightmare trying to get everybody together in the afternoons,” Heacock said. “Other than the cold weather this spring, it will be a lot easier having everybody together. We are even considering doing this in the fall.”
Heacock says that most of the returning players will be practicing this spring except for the several who were injured last year and are recuperating.
Standout players like All-American defensive tackle Mychal Savage (who missed all of last season), defensive cornerback Jarvis Richards, defensive end Luke Matelan and fullback Kyle Banna, who all had surgery, will not practice this spring.
“There may be a few others who may miss a few days, but for the most part everybody else is healthy right now,” Heacock said.
A year ago, the Penguins had nine players have knee surgeries and two others had their shoulders operated on.
“We’re not going to make any real changes in our training procedures, but we will be paying a very close attention to them this year,” Heacock said,
mollica@vindy.com