President Tressel or Gov. Tressel?

Of the many things on the 2016 agenda in the Valley, the most interesting to watch could be Youngstown State University and the contract of Coach, er, President Jim Tressel.

Tressel completes Year 2 this year of his unprecedented three-year contract. July would start his final year under that deal.

I call it unprecedented in that “making a football coach a university president” in 2014 raised eyebrows across America. Here, it was more than eyebrows raised by some. There was some downright nasty incredulity by some from a variety of corners.

In those opening months of Tressel’s tenure, “Coach” was still liberally interspersed with “President.” Never to miss a moment to crack a joke, Tressel would jab at some event introductions that still tagged him “Coach.” He would say “it’s President.”

That was then.

Subsequently, the term “President” seems now more firmly enforced. Even from his boss.

“I try not to refer to him as ‘Coach’ at all anymore,” said Carole Weimer, chairwoman of the board of trustees. “He is certainly ‘President.’”

That last part was with emphasis on her part, noting the pleasant surge the campus is enjoying, and that their huge hiring risk is, in the minds of many, paying off.

YSU is on a pretty good roll by some measures.

Just last week, they announced a 41-student bump in enrollment from this time last year. It’s a small number, but when you had 15-consecutive down year-to-year looks, even one new Johnny or Gina is a plus.

The lingering budget shortfall was significantly closed last summer. The school brags of a Rhodes Scholar student. There’s new housing, new donations, wider scope of student recruitment, a refreshed football shrine/stadium and more.

Tressel, personally, has been inducted into what seems like every football and sports hall of fame.

Sure – the glee is not unanimous. But when is it?

All of this sets up for:

“What now with Tressel and YSU?”

Teasing such “what next” talk is some Ohio speculation of a potential U.S. Sen. Tressel or Gov. Tressel.

Laughable?

Well, say to yourself, “You’re making a football coach a university president?” Remember that?

Tressel visited The Vindicator last week and discussed all of it.

Well, kinda.

He’s good at many things, and one is professing no understanding of some things. It’s a disarming trait, but sometimes hard to believe. Of politics, he said:

“How does that work to pick candidates? Who decides? Do you just apply?”

He expressed alarm at the thought of him in political office. But remember, he’s very friendly with Gov. Kasich.

He expressed the same “oh gosh” about how long he hopes to keep his current job.

“I haven’t had 30 seconds to reflect whether I want to do this three years or 30 years.”

(That’s tough to completely buy from a guy who last year dissected the Ohio State quarterback jam saying that it had a nice original plan. See, Braxton Miller was to get his two years, then J.T. Barrett for two years, then Cardele Jones for two. A stacked cupboard. They were all recruited under his tenure.

Said differently: He looks further down field than he sometimes might show.

That said, he loves his current job, as does Ellen Tressel. He has plenty on his plate to accomplish in the coming years, and seems ready for a conversation this summer about his next contract.

His boss thinks the same.

“The board has had some initial conversations,” Weimer said. “I expect we will pick them up in June and July.”

Aren’t they a quaint couple – the board and Tressel?”

They should be – based on their shared risk two years ago.

Weimer said the board feels a sense of satisfaction with its risk. She said in the two years since, more nontraditional president hires have happened.

She also is a believer in timing.

“The bulk of this board has been through four presidents. That is unique,” Weimer said. “After Randy Dunn’s episode, the betrayal we felt was immense. We all wanted to find someone who had the love for this campus the way we all do. His passion and love has come through, and he’s moved our needle.”

Randy Dunn? Randy Dunn? Randy Dunn?

I have not heard that name in awhile.

Of all the things that Tressel has changed, added, eliminated or tweaked – that the Randy Dunn episode rarely is heard at all is maybe his biggest feat.

This is a Valley with a long, long, long memory – from steel successes to steel collapses to storms to glorious downtown shopping to, hell, even John Young’s first steps on these lands in 1796.

Mentioning YSU these days without hearing, “You know, in 2014, our president fled us” is pretty telling of the Tressel impact.

I think another three-year contract is a given, with its provisions making for some good theater. (He makes $300K per year, but just gave the school $1.5 million. Where is that happening in America? Does he take a pay cut?)

And he’s a young 63 – often working past 9 p.m.

So I wouldn’t rule out a higher office down the road, even if he struggles to find that job application.

Someone will find it for him.

Todd Franko is editor of The Vindicator. He likes emails about stories and our newspaper. Email him at tfranko@vindy.com . He blogs, too, on Vindy.com. Tweet him, too, at @tfranko.