Pelini denies Kentucky interest
By STEVE WILAJ
YOUNGSTOWN
A day after Internet speculation regarding Youngstown State football coach Bo Pelini possibly leaving the Penguins to join the staff at Kentucky, Pelini — who just completed his first season at YSU — denied the rumor.
“Yeah, that’s so ludicrous,” he said in a phone call Thursday evening. “That’s just ridiculous.”
Pelini, a valley native and Cardinal Mooney alum, guided the Penguins to a 5-6 record in 2015 as YSU missed the FCS playoffs.
Kentucky is coached by Mark Stoops, who is also a Mooney graduate.
Wednesday afternoon, Keith Garrett — an editor/writer for aseaofblue.com, an affiliate of SB Nation — tweeted: “Apparently there is some smoke to Bo Pelini as a possible staff member at UK,” before following with a tweet of, “To be clear, don’t know if their (sic) is interest on Pelini’s side...Nor if any formal conversation has happened. Just internal UK discussion.”
The first tweet picked up steam on the internet and social media.
Prior to joining YSU in 2015, Pelini served as the head coach at the University of Nebraska for seven years. He went 67-27 during that time, but was fired in November 2014 amidst the leaking of an audio tape of him criticizing the Nebraska fan base.
This season with YSU, the Penguins started 3-1 before going 2-3 in October and 1-2 in November. He also received a reprimand from the Missouri Valley Football Conference for his use of profane language toward referees in a Nov. 14 loss to North Dakota State.