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YSU lineman is proud to guard
Andrew Radakovich helps anchor a solid offensive line
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State senior Andrew Radakovich is an eye black-smearing, beard-growing, head-shaving left tackle with the heart of a guard and the hands of a ... guard.
“I like playing guard,” said Radakovich, who shifted inside for the second half of Saturday’s win over Valparaiso. “It’s a lot more fun. You don’t have to go against the small guys. You go against the bigger guys and get to hit a little more.
“But wherever they need me to play, I’m going to play.”
Slot receiver?
“No, no, no, no,” he said. “I don’t have the hands.”
Oh, so speed isn’t the problem?
“The hands are the problem,” he said. “I have the pure speed.”
Radakovich, whose 40-yard dash time could be measured by a sundial, has made 33 career starts for the Penguins, including 28 straight.
He’s one of four seniors on the line — tackle D.J. Main, guard Lamar Mady and center Mark Pratt are the others, with junior guard Chris Elkins manning the other spot — and he’s part of a group that has started a combined 95 games for the conference’s top-scoring offense (45 points per game).
“I think our biggest strength is our maturity,” Radakovich said. “We’re a veteran group. If [line] Coach Carm [Bricillo] says something, we can automatically recognize it.
“We’re all students of the game of football.”
That, said YSU coach Eric Wolford, is the biggest difference between his previous offensive lines and this one.
“They’ve started to invest more than they ever have in their lives,” Wolford said. “I think in the past maybe they just played offensive line on Saturday and were just everyday guys the rest of the week.
“I see a different attention to detail on their part. I see them train their bodies and eating right. I see them becoming students of the game.”
That development isn’t limited to the starters, Main said.
“I think our second string has made great improvements,” Main said. “I think in years past we always had a fear if one of the starters went down. This year if one of the starters went down, everyone’s feeling comfortable with who can step up and play.”
Wolford follows the “best five will play” policy, so if one of the starters does go down, he’s not necessarily going to turn to the next player on the depth chart. Radakovich, for instance, is listed as the backup left guard — and he’s listed as equal with junior Kyle Bryant at left tackle.
“I feel fine at every position,” Radakovich said. “I could be the utility player, I guess. As long as I get to hit someone, I’m fine.”
Radakovich has the same confidence in his appearance. He smears eye black on his face before games (“I just put a line on my face, then smear it,” he said. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it.”) and has grown what he believes is the best beard on the team.
“I’m sure if you ask Mark Pratt, he’s going to have a big argument for that,” Radakovich said. “He said I copied his style. I said, ‘No, I’m just doing it better.’”
Maybe, maybe not. But when it comes to interviews, no Penguin does it better.