YSU defense aims for improvement under new defensive coordinator Riemedio
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Over the past two seasons, shortcomings on defense have often held Youngstown State back from taking that next step and challenging for a conference title or making an FCS playoff run.
Enter new defensive coordinator Ryan Riemedio.
Penguins head coach Doug Phillips hired Riemedio back in February, bringing him in to take over YSU's much-maligned defense. Riemedio joined the Penguins after spending 14 years at Mercyhurst -- 10 as an assistant coach and four as head coach.
Riemedio began work with the defense back at the start of spring practice, installing his plays and schemes, along with his defensive pillars and philosophies. That continued through spring and into summer workouts and took hold in earnest throughout fall camp over the past month.
"All credit goes to the kids. They're the ones that have really dived into what we want to get done and have really been ahead of our installs and making sure they know what we're installing from week to week," Riemedio said. "Secondly, credit to the coaching staff. Anytime you get into a program and you inherit players, inherit coaches -- the coaches have been very open to learning what we wanted to get accomplished and understanding what my mindset is with the defense."
All that offseason work and preparation will come to a head this week, as the Penguins start to turn their attention to their 2026 season opener against Riemedio's former school on Aug. 27.
"Overall, from a confidence standpoint, I think the guys are really understanding, especially situational football, what needs to get accomplished," Riemedio said. "I think the kids have done a really good job of picking that up. Overall, they're kind of hitting on all cylinders right now. There's a couple things we need to clean up, there's always room for improvement. But we're really excited about where we are defensively as we get ready here for game-prep on Saturday."
One of the schematic changes Riemedio has made at YSU is switching up to a 3-4 defense, according to linebacker Carston Marshall. But the Penguins still also have some four-down looks and packages in their arsenal.
"He just came in and broke it down step-by-step to us. He didn't really overload us with a lot of details," Marshall said of the transition. "We've still been putting stuff in throughout camp. I think he was just patient with us. He made sure to utilize the talent that we had around us."
Starting on the back end, YSU's secondary has often been the source of the Penguins' problems the last two seasons.
But the coaching staff is confident in the new faces they brought in through the transfer portal in January to complement the couple of returners at defensive back.
"I think we brought in great guys who know the situation we're in this season and the aspirations that we have as a team," Marshall said. "They've just come in, they compete, they keep their heads down, they've worked really hard and they just assimilated with the rest of the group. You're going to see a lot of different faces back there, but I think overall, as a secondary, it's going to be pretty fun to watch."
Butler transfer Dev Holman is one of the newcomers that seems to have solidified himself at one of the cornerback spots, according to Riemedio. He also said New Hampshire transfer Raleigh Collins III is also expected to be a factor at safety.
Cincinnati transfer Stanley Clyne and Washburn transfer Julius Jackson also give YSU some versatility in the secondary with their ability to move around to different positions.
"Everyone else on the back end that has been here, whether it's Jussiah [Williams-West], whether it's Weston [Sturzinger], whether it's Ross [Davidson], all those guys have really done a good job of adapting and learning the defense and how we're structuring things a little bit different from what they did last year," Riemedio said.
At the second level, YSU's linebackers are probably the oldest, most experienced group on the defense.
Between Marshall, Mike Wells and Graydon Rollins, the Penguins are in good hands with that group. But finding additional depth behind them will be key.
"You have an All-American in Mike Wells, who for me, the job is to challenge him every day, not only in what his role was last year, but to heighten what he can do moving forward," Riemedio said. "C5, Carston Marshall's just a really good football player that I think will have a really good year."
Up front, YSU is happy to finally be healthy again with Ebony Curry Jr. and Thomas Jolly back on the defensive line after missing spring practice recovering from injuries.
The Penguins also added Holy Cross transfer Jordan Pritchard-Sewell. Plus, Nick Bowser, Andrew Jackson-Dunaway and Connor Johannesen all figure to be in the mix after gaining valuable experience last year. Riemedio also noted the progress and growth that Mike Wright and Devaughn Perkins have made.
Riemedio has options at all three levels of the defense. But now, after a long, grueling fall camp, the key is figuring out the best 11-22 players they can get on the field during games.
"You couldn't ask for a better situation to walk into on my end, but also to see those kids really take on the identity of what we want to get done defensively and make sure we play good developmental football every day," Riemedio said. "We're going to continue developing these guys, but just structured and making sure we're sound. That's a big piece of understanding who fits where, where our run fits are and what we need to get done.
"So from that end, I'm really excited. I think there were eight guys from the spring that didn't participate because of injuries from last year or maybe some they sustained in the spring. So to get those guys back as we get really for game week, to really be at full strength -- there's a couple guys still dinged up from fall camp, but to really be in that position from a depth standpoint, it makes our job harder as coaches, especially as we get ready for in-season practices, scout-switches and all those things."