Bo Pelini will be next YSU football coach

Former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini will be the next head football coach at Youngstown State, multiple sources have told Vindicator sports writer Joe Scalzo.

A source at Youngstown State confirmed the report and said the decision came down to family — Pelini and his wife are both Cardinal Mooney graduates — and lifestyle.

Pelini spent the last seven seasons as the head coach at Nebraska, compiling a 67-27 record. He won at least nine games every season. He will replace Eric Wolford, who was fired after going 31-26 in five seasons, including an 18-22 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

"I'm surprised, but pleasantly surprised," said Cardinal Mooney athletic director Don Bucci, who coached Pelini in high school. "I'm very happy for him and his family. I think it's gonna be great for Youngstown State to have a coach of his caliber."

YSU radio analyst Chris Sammarone, who was an All-America center for the Penguins during the early 1990s, said "I don't think they [the Penguins] could have done any better."

"That's a great hire for the university," Sammarone said. "I think he's not only an accomplished football coach and leader, he's also somebody with roots here in city of Youngstown. We get the best of both worlds."

For more details, read Wednesday's Vindicator or visit Vindy.com.