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Pelini’s goal to make YSU class of FCS
Bo Pelini
Podcast Episode
Tom Williams, Ed Puskas, and Joe Scalzo talk about YSU's decision to hire Bo Pelini as the head coach of YSU football.
RELATED: YSU players encouraged about Pelini’s hiring
By Joe Scalzo
YOUNGSTOWN
For the first time in years, the president’s loge at Stambaugh Stadium was overflowing with people in December talking about Youngstown State football.
In the future, Bo Pelini wants it to be for a game, not a press conference.
“I want to fill this place [stadium] up and get people excited about Youngstown State football again,” he said, speaking in front of a large group of local media. “Obviously, winning is going to lead to that.
“I know one thing — putting head coach in front of my name isn’t going to win us football games.”
While Pelini’s hiring has jolted the Penguins back into the local — and, for a few days at least, national — conversation, his introductory press conference centered around keeping it there.
“If we give [fans] something to talk about, if we play a certain way, if we lead our program with high standards and hold the kids to high standards, that’ll fall right in line with what the people want to see and the type of football they want to see,” he said. “We need to all come together to make this the best football program in the country. That’s our goal.”
Later on Wednesday, Pelini’s introduction was tempered by published reports about comments he was said to have made about Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst. Pelini met with his Cornhuskers players on Dec. 2 — two days after his firing — at a Lincoln high school. He was reportedly recorded making vulgar comments about Eichorst and accusing the AD of a lack of support for the Nebraska football program.
Pelini, who was fired at Nebraska last month after going 67-27 in seven seasons, takes over a program that has made the FCS playoffs once in 14 seasons. His hiring surprised nearly everyone — even Pelini admitted, “I don’t know if I would have envisioned this a month ago” — but he made it clear he’s not starting this job with an eye on the next one.
“This is not a stepping stone for me,” said Pelini, who said he spent the last two weeks sorting through several opportunities across the country. “If I was looking to move, I would have taken one of the other opportunities.
“I don’t have a crystal ball. It would be crazy for me to say I’m going to be here for this long or that long. I don’t even know how long they’d want me. But at the end of the day, I didn’t come here to pick up my kids and move after a year or two.”
Both Pelini and YSU athletic director Ron Strollo said they haven’t worked out the framework of his contract, although Pelini joked he “signed about a 20-year deal.” The Penguins’ previous coach, Eric Wolford, made just under $260,000 in his last season and Strollo said it’s possible Pelini could make a smaller salary, with more money going to his assistant coaches.
Pelini is already guaranteed $150,000 a month for the next 51 months as part of the buyout from his Nebraska contract. That amount will be offset by whatever he makes at YSU.
Pelini said he’ll spend the next few days assembling his staff, meeting first with the current coaches who are signed through the end of February. When asked if he’ll consider his brother Carl, who resigned as Florida Atlantic’s head coach last November following allegations of cocaine use, Pelini said “I haven’t talked to Carl about it since I took it yet, but yeah, there’s always a possibility that could happen.”
Pelini said he hasn’t had a chance to review YSU’s roster, but credited the previous coach, Eric Wolford, with leaving the program “in pretty good shape.” He plans to recruit the Mahoning Valley, but will also pursue players from across the country, including FBS transfers and junior college transfers “as long as they’re the right fit.”
Pelini said the job was attractive because it will allow him and his wife (who is also a Mooney graduate) to be around family and friends and for his children to attend Mooney. Pelini said he also wanted the chance to work for YSU president Jim Tressel.
“I’ll have a president who understands football, who’s gonna support me, and that’s something I don’t know if I’ve ever had,” he said. “Having Coach Tressel come back, that’s pretty special. He’s in a role where he really understands what kind of needs to be done.”
Since graduating from Cardinal Mooney in 1986, Pelini has spent just one year in Youngstown, coaching the Cardinals’ quarterbacks in 1993. But while he may have left Youngstown, Youngstown never left him.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have the experiences and the people surrounding me that I had growing up,” he said. “That’s a tremendous thing and that’s why it feels so great to have the opportunity to come back home.”