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GREAT EXPECTATIONS: YSU football continues spring practice
YSU football continues spring practice
By Joe Scalzo
scalzo@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Photo
YSU's Head Coach Eric Wolford talks with Jelani Berassa (84) during drills at YSU's spring football practice in Stambaugh Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Youngstown State senior receiver Dominique Barnes had just finished a TV interview on Monday evening when his position coach, Phil Longo, walked up to him and said, “Did you say good things about me? Did you tell them how fast I am?”
Barnes looked at Longo — a former college quarterback who’s now built a little like a fire hydrant — and chuckled.
“They didn’t really ask about you,” Barnes said.
It was a light moment in a relationship that’s been a little rocky at times over the past two months.
Earlier that day, the two had a one-on-one meeting where Longo explained his expectations for Barnes this season, both in terms of production and leadership. And the reason for the meeting was, well, Barnes wasn’t yet meeting them.
“My goal here is to challenge him and get him to a level he hasn’t been before,” said Longo, the offensive coordinator for Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Southern Illinois the past two years. “I think he can be better than what he’s shown.
If that sounds like tough language about a receiver who led the MVFC in touchdowns last season, it’s supposed to. But it’s not like it’s one negative quote pulled out of a glowing scouting report.
Longo said he’s been most impressed with receivers Dionte Snow and Jelani Berassa so far this spring, not Barnes.
Then he adds this, “To be honest, Dominique has to compete for a job just like the rest of them.”
Barnes (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) is the only returning starter from last year’s corps, catching 60 passes for 762 yards and eight TDs. But he benefited from being the second option behind NFL hopeful Donald Jones — Longo admitted the Salukis were more concerned with Jones last season — and YSU’s coaches are looking for him to seize that lead role this spring.
So far, he hasn’t.
“You can’t just take for granted that you’re going to come out here and be the guy every day,” said head coach Eric Wolford, who would like to see Barnes get in and out of his breaks quicker. “We’re going to play who we think are the best guys. The tape doesn’t lie.
“If you’re doing things right, playing well on tape, we’re going to play you. If you’re not, you’re going to get demoted.”
Barnes is one of four true seniors on the roster, having seen time in six games as a freshman and 12 as a sophomore, catching a team-high 38 passes that season while starting five games. He was even better last fall.
That’s solid production from someone who actually played quarterback at Southfield (Mich.) High — the same Detroit suburban school that produced YSU’s QB for the past two years, Brandon Summers — and was given the open-ended “athlete” tag by YSU’s recruiters.
“They threw me in as a receiver my freshman year and I’ve been there ever since,” he said. “It’s been all right. It’s been cool.”
Barnes, who earned honorable mention all-conference last fall, is outgoing with a quick smile.
He often jokes with YSU sports information director Trevor Parks about when he’s going to get his press conference and tells Parks to merely mention he earned all-conference, rather than honorable mention all-conference.
He likes rap and hip-hop — Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne and Kanye West are particular favorites —and his favorite movie right now is “The Blind Side,” although the former basketball player said he’s probably seen “He Got Game” more than any other. A business management major, he’s hoping to start a business after football.
“Make some money,” he said.
He understands the expectations that come with playing at YSU, new staff or not.
“Youngstown State is a football school,” he said. “Everyone wants to make the playoffs and that’s what we’re trying to do.
As a three-year letterman, Longo believes Barnes has a huge advantage over his peers — and that’s not exactly a good thing. Experience breeds high expectations .
“I think all these guys are going through the process of getting to know a new staff,” said Longo, a no-nonsense New Jersey native. “Some guys transition immediately with no issue. Others take awhile. I’m not sure where Dominique is yet. I think he wants to get better.
“I think we have a good relationship, as good as you can have in close to two months. There’s obviously mutual respect and I think he has a good work ethic, so if that stuff continues, then hopefully, if the two of us do our jobs, he’ll meet those expectations.”
Longo knows that talk can seem a little negative, which is why he’s quick to say it’s early and Barnes has made some good plays. Besides, this is just the fourth practice of the spring and the coaches and players are still learning about each other.
But Longo also wants his receivers to know he won’t tolerate their being good.
He wants them to be great.
“We’re always concerned with where are we in relationship to what it takes to win a championship,” he said. “Not, ‘Are we better than yesterday? Or better than last year?’
“I’m always looking to see what do I need to do to build them into a receiving unit that can help us win a championship. So as long as there’s a gap between where we are and where that is, there’s an opportunity to get better at the next practice.”
Barnes, for his part, said he’s up for the challenge.
“It started out kind of hard, learning a whole new system,” he said. “Once you got one system so installed in your brain, it’s hard to forget about all that and learn a new system and prove yourself.
“It was kind of tough early but I’m doing all right.”