43
Penguins expect to sign 33 today
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Hot Pursuit as Fitchs Steve Zaborsky (53) as he closes in on the Rebels QB Ray Russ (7) in the first round of playoffs.
Valley prep football standouts and college coaches prepare to celebrate the offseason’s biggest event — Signing Day
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Last summer, as Fitch senior Steve Zaborsky went from school to school on the summer camp circuit, one school stood out above others: Youngstown State.
“Nobody could compare,” he said.
YSU’s one-day linemen’s camp wasn’t just a place to be seen, he said. It was a place to be measured, poked, prodded, timed, evaluated and, of course, coached.
“They evaluated us on almost every single aspect,” said Zaborsky. “They took our wingspan, our height, our weight, they timed us, they measured our vertical jump. And the coaching was really good.”
Zaborsky absorbed the tips he got from defensive line coach Tom Sims — “The small things he taught us in his camp I took to other camps,” he said — as well as the other coaches.
“I felt like all the coaches knew what they were doing,” he said. “They have a lot of experience and all the pointers actually made sense.”
So, in late June, Zaborsky made his choice, becoming the first area player to commit to YSU’s 2011 recruiting class. Over the next seven months, as he emerged as a first team All-Ohioan lineman for the Federal League champions, he never wavered.
Today, he’ll finally make it official, signing a national letter of intent.
“I’m definitely excited to tie the knot with them,” he said.
Zaborsky will be one of 33 players expected to sign with the Penguins — a massive class designed to bring talent and depth to a team that finished 3-8, the school’s worst record in 15 years. Of those 32, 10 are from the Mahoning Valley — one of the largest local hauls in school history.
Of Jon Heacock’s nine recruiting classes, only one exceeded 20. (He signed 22 in 2007.) And his biggest local haul was six, which came in 2009, his last year with the team. Last February, YSU coach Eric Wolford added 15 players on signing day, including five local players.
“The talent they’re bringing into the program is more and more developed,” said Zaborsky. “There’s a lot bigger names and recruits coming to YSU.”
Wolford was hired at YSU based, in part, on his reputation as a dogged recruiter. He took a more aggressive approach than his predecessor, Jon Heacock, offering scholarships sooner and to higher-profile players. He didn’t shy away from local standouts such as Ursuline running back Akise Teague (who is expected to sign with Cincinnati today) or Poland wide receiver Darius Patton (Pitt).
Although he wasn’t able to beat the Big East schools, he’s hoping to beat a couple Mid-American Conference programs on players such as running back Demond Hymes and offensive lineman Ian Folmar, both Warren Harding High graduates. And he secured a verbal commitment last summer from Girard wideout Landon Smith, who later switched to Ohio.
In all, YSU’s coach staff offered scholarships to about 100 players. They secured commitments from nine junior college players (some have already enrolled) and high school seniors from six different states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and South Carolina.
Local recruits include Zaborsky, Folmar and Hymes, as well as Boardman RB/DB Nick Buonavolonta, Ursuline OL/DL Zach Conlan, Ursuline LB Jordan Markota, West Branch OL/DL Brandon Ferguson, Warren Harding WR/DB Jimmy May, Hubbard FB/LB Blake Novotny and East WR/DB Mike Thomas. Sharon OL/LB Justin Yuran is also expected to sign.
The big class will help replace YSU’s 21 departing seniors, as well as shore up a thin roster that, according to Wolford, was utilizing just 53 of the school’s 63 scholarships due to injuries and academic issues.
That lack of depth was obvious last fall, as the Penguins repeatedly failed to hold leads, dropping their final seven games in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
“I went to almost all the home games and even listened on the radio and it seemed like a lot of games were lost in the last couple minutes,” Zaborsky said. “I’m looking at it like I can go down there and help out. I felt like if I had played, we could have got that W for sure.”