YSU FOOTBALL || NOTEBOOK

Spring emphasis: Youngstown State coach Eric Wolford said his biggest emphasis this spring is implementing new defensive coordinator Joe Tresey’s scheme. “There’s a lot of new terminology and there’s a learning curve for our coaches, too,” Wolford said. “The one thing that I was impressed with after interviewing Coach Tresey was that he’s a very good teacher. That’s important when you only have 15 practices and some are games and some are scrimmages. The sooner they can grasp the defense, the better.” Like his predecessor, Rick Kravitz, Tresey runs a 4-3 defense but Wolford said the new system offers more diverse coverages. YSU’s secondary was a big weakness last season.

Rise and shine: Wolford said the team’s recent 6 a.m. workouts were “dramatically different” than when he first arrived. “They know if they don’t come out ready to work hard in the morning, we’ll just do 100 up-downs and start over,” he said. “We only had to do that one time.” Wolford said working out in the WATTS instead of a Stambaugh Stadium gym made a big difference. “We had guys get hurt last year because the gym floor gets wet and guys slip and hurt their ankles, knees and backs,” he said. “When you have the indoor, you don’t get that.”

Health important: The Penguins struggled with injuries and a lack of depth during last year’s spring practice. Wolford has better depth this year. As for injuries? He’s crossing his fingers. “We’ve got to stay healthy and that’s something every coach in America is going to say in the spring,” he said. “You look at the future of the program and there were a lot of guys we redshirted last year who now have an opportunity to play. We’re getting to the point where we don’t have to constantly reload every year with a massive recruiting class.” Bottom line? “If we stay excited and grasp the new defense, we have a chance to be a pretty good team,” Wolford said.

Joe Scalzo