West Branch lineman commits to Penguins

By JOE SCALZO

scalzo@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown State football team snared a big recruit on Monday.

A really big recruit.

Brandon Ferguson, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound offensive tackle, became the fourth player from the 2011 class to verbally commit to the Penguins.

“I definitely knew this was the place for me,” Ferguson said. “I enjoyed the whole process and I really liked it up there.

“It’s only about 40 minutes away, they’ve got a real good staff and it definitely felt right.”

Ferguson was honorable mention all-district and all-Northeastern Buckeye Conference last fall in his first year as a full-time, two-way varsity starter. He also started every game on the basketball team.

“The first thing you notice, obviously, is his size,” said Warriors coach Bob Altenhof. “He’s 6-8 and he’s got really long arms, which is important for offensive linemen.

“He looks very thin at 255 but as he matures and becomes a man, I think he’ll be up around the 300-pound mark.”

Ferguson is the second local player to commit, joining Fitch defensive end Steve Zaborsky. The Penguins also have two recruits from western Pennsylvania: Quarterback Dante Nania (Hempfield Area) and receiver Christian Bryan (Norwin).

Ferguson missed much of his freshman season with a back injury and split time as a sophomore between junior varsity and varsity. He emerged as one of the team’s best linemen last season.

Youngstown State’s former coach, Jon Heacock, showed some interest in Ferguson and his older brother, Brad. When Eric Wolford took over in December, the interest continued. Ferguson attended YSU’s camp in June, where he was impressive enough to earn a scholarship offer.

“He, like a lot of tall kids, took awhile to grow into his body,” said Altenhof. “He’s really progressed the last few years and grown into his physique. He runs really well and has become a good athlete.”

That athleticism runs in the family. Ferguson’s father was a football and baseball player at Alliance, while his mom played softball at Waterloo.

“He’s got a lot of interest from some Division I programs but I know it was real important for him and his family that he stayed close to home,” Altenhof. “When YSU offered, that was a really exciting thing for him.”