Coleman eyes breakout year

March 31, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Let’s get this out of the way first.

No, Youngstown State senior defensive end Vince Coleman is not related to the former All-Star outfielder.

“Wish I was,” he said.

But after a quiet first season at defensive end with the Penguins, the Orange Coast (Junior) College transfer is on his way to making a name for himself this spring.

“Vince Coleman is a guy that over the course of the offseason, in 6 a.m. workouts, really stepped up,” YSU coach Eric Wolford said. “He’s gotten stronger. The guy has all kinds of ability.

“If he can step up and be consistent, we expect him to be an impact player for us.”

Coleman (6-3, 245) played in all 12 games as a reserve last season, finishing with 20 tackles and four sacks. This is his second spring with the team — he enrolled early last January — and admitted it’s taken time to adjust, both to the competition and his new surroundings.

“Last year I was really trying to get a hold of my game,” he said. “I was trying to convert from junior college to D-I, learn the game, learn the plays. It’s a whole different game plan, a whole different tempo.

“It was tough, but I feel better this year. I feel like I’ll be able to do what I have to do when it comes time to perform.”

One thing he has proved is his toughness. Coleman wears braces, a consequence of breaking his jaw while playing rugby in California a few years ago.

“It was crazy, being the smallest guy out there,” he said. “But I was still hitting hard.”

Which is tougher, football or rugby?

“They’re both tough,” he said. “But rugby has no pads or anything like that. It’s definitely way tougher.”

YSU added four defensive linemen in last year’s early enrollment period and none made much of an impact last fall.

Senior DT Octavius Brown played in 11 games with one start, but battled injuries and had just 18 tackles. Sophomore DE Derek Rivers, who played one season at Fork Union Military Academy before signing with YSU, played in 10 games and made three sacks. Junior DE Nate Cox, a 26-year-old ex-Marine, left the team between April and August last fall.

But Wolford has had good luck with transfers on the defensive line, with guys such as Andrew Johnson, Daniel Stewart, Aronde Stanton and Nick DeKraker playing important roles in the past few years.

“A lot of the time, with those junior college guys, you see a dramatic change in them their second year,” Wolford said. “The first year, it’s still a little bit of a feeling-out process.”

Coleman isn’t a real vocal guy — “I lead by my actions,” he said — and is more interested in playing nonstop than talking nonstop.

He hopes other people spend a lot of time talking about him this fall.

“I bring the juice, the tempo,” he said. “I’ve got to keep the motor running 24/7.

“I feel like I’m making progress. I’m doing good [this spring], but I’ve still got a long way to go.”