Correspondent photos / Robert Hayes YSU receiver Fresh Walters celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the Penguins’ upset win over Illinois State on Saturday in Normal, Illinois.

YOUNGSTOWN — In the offseason, Youngstown State overhauled its wide receiver room.

Three players transferred out, including two that were key contributors last year, while one exhausted their eligibility and another medically retired. In return, the Penguins added three incoming transfers, including junior Kylon “Flash” Wilson, senior Mike Solomon and sophomore Fresh Walters.

After a slow start to the season, those three newcomers have started to come on for YSU in the last two games and it’s given the Penguins an added dimension to their passing attack.

“To see different guys making plays, guys like Mike Solomon making plays, Fresh Walters making a huge play — we’re trying to involve as many players as we can in this offense,” head coach Doug Phillips said.

Wilson and Solomon both came to YSU by way of Division II Slippery Rock (Pa.) after breakout seasons with The Rock last year.

Wilson, a nearby Farrell, Pa. native and alum, has provided YSU with a spark as an all-purpose player on both offense and special teams. He’s second on the team in receiving yards (256) and had his best game as a Penguin at North Dakota last week with 102 receiving yards and a touchdown on four receptions.

“I just love it because coming out of high school, I was overlooked because of my height,” Wilson said last week. “So I appreciate Coach Doug for giving me a chance to come here and just be with the team. I love it here. It’s a good brotherhood here, even off the field as well.”

As a kick returner, he’s averaging 28 yards per return and has several lengthy returns this season, including a long of 76 yards.

“I did (special teams) at my last school as well,” Wilson said. “On special teams, I love it because I’m explosive. When I get that ball back there, I be hating when coach tells me to fair catch…because when I see the blocking, and I get it, I’m gone. I’m breaking one this year, promise.”

Solomon put together a pair of decent games against South Dakota State and North Dakota with over 30 receiving yards in each game, including his first career touchdown with the Penguins last week.

But his breakout performance came on Saturday in YSU’s upset at Illinois State when he hauled in four receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“He made a huge play on that third-and-long. We needed to get a first down there,” Phillips said. “Beau was able to throw the dig. Mike’s long, the ball was high, but Mike went up and grabbed that and he gave us the first down. Then that first down turned into a touchdown.”

Walters, who came to YSU from Iowa Western, had a quiet start to the season. But he also made a splash against the Redbirds, hauling in a long touchdown pass for his first score with the Penguins.

With Wilson, Solomon and Walters’ emergence in recent weeks, YSU has also finally started to unlock the deep ball.

Timing is everything in the vertical passing scheme. Brungard and senior Max Tomczak have built that chemistry with one another over the past two years, now Brungard is starting to find that downfield connection with the others.

Wilson hauled in two deep passes from Brungard last week against the Fighting Hawks, including a 57-yard completion in traffic and a 37-yard touchdown, in which he beat his defender down the middle of the field.

“He can do so much,” Phillips said. “He can run from the backfield, he can hit the hitches, the bubbles. But we also knew he could be a deep threat.”

This past week against the Redbirds, Solomon and Walters both hauled in long touchdowns. Solomon’s came early in the third quarter when Brungard floated a pass down to Solomon in stride down the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown. Then Walters’ put YSU ahead for good against the Redbirds when he beat his coverage for a 53-yard touchdown reception.

“We’ve been working on it. That’s timing. You got new receivers, and everyone runs a different route, and everyone is a different speed, so just working on the timing,” Phillips said. “It was great to see. We’ve been working hard on that ever since spring, and to see it come to fruition, it’s a positive thing for our offense being able to get that ball over the top.”