YSU football notebook

YOUNGSTOWN — Coach search update: According to FootballScoop.com, several candidates have emerged for YSU’s vacant head coaching job. They include Don Treadwell (who was Jim Tressel’s offensive coordinator at YSU from 1986-91), Brian Wright (a former YSU offensive coordinator under Jon Heacock who is the associate head coach/offensive coordinator with Florida Atlantic), Dave Warner (who is co-offensive coordinator at Michigan State under former Tressel assistant Mark Dantonio and who was a graduate assistant at Syracuse in 1982 when Tressel was the quarterbacks coach there), Mark Snyder (who coached with Tressel at YSU from 1991-96 and at Ohio State from 2001-04), Vince Marrow (a Cardinal Mooney graduate who is Mark Stoops’ recruiting coordinator at Kentucky), Trent Boykin (who played for Tressel at YSU from 1991-94 and coached at YSU from 2000-02), John Peterson (Akron’s offensive line coach who spent eight years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Tressel at Ohio State) and Rick Shepas (a Mooney graduate who played at YSU and has been the head coach at Poland High and Massillon High and is now the head coach at Division III Waynesburg). The site reported that on-campus and in-person interviews are expected to happen next week. The Penguins fired Eric Wolford last week after he went 31-26 in five years, missing the playoffs each year. YSU has made the playoffs just once since Tressel left after the 2000 season, advancing to the national semifinals under Heacock in 2006.

Three players honored: YSU had three players named to the All-Newcomer Team, the Missouri Valley Football Conference announced on Tuesday. QB Hunter Wells, OT Justin Spencer and CB Nate Dortch were all recognized on the all-newcomer squad. Wells, who finished second in the voting for MVFC Freshman-of-the-Year Award, took over starting quarterback duties for the final six games of the season. Overall he played in 10 games and started seven. He completed 121-of-202 passes for 1,772 yards and 14 touchdowns. Of note, he threw a touchdown pass in the final seven games of the season. He threw for more than 200 yards on five occasions, highlighted by a 297-yard performance in his starting debut against Butler. Wells was one of four quarterbacks to be named to the MVFC Offensive Newcomer squad. Spencer started all 12 games at right tackle as a redshirt freshman. He was the team’s offensive lineman of the game on four occasions earning the honor against Duquesne, Saint Francis (Pa.), Southern Illinois and South Dakota. He was just one three offensive lineman to make the MVFC Offensive Newcomer team. Dortch played and started in nine games after transferring from Miami (Fla.). For the season he had 19 total tackles, including 14 solo stops and had six pass breakups. In MVFC play, had 15 total tackles, including 12 solos.

Staff report