Aug. 4, 2009

Football: Guins Report to Camp on Wednesday, First Practices Set for Thursday

    Youngstown -- The fall-camp invitees of the 2009 Youngstown State football team will report to campus on Wednesday as the Penguins gather for the first time, exactly a month from the season-opener at preseason Big East favorite Pittsburgh.

    The Penguins, who will welcome at least 22 new faces, check-in to the Lyden House tomorrow between 9 a.m. and noon. Following that are compliance meetings, physicals, mouthpiece fittings, videos, the team's first dinner together and a team meeting to close out day one.

    On Thursday, YSU hits the field for the first time practicing in two groups. A morning session featuring the newcomers and some veterans will take the field at 9:50 a.m. while the remainder of the veterans will workout in the afternoon. Friday's schedule follows the same pattern. YSU is practicing this way because approximately 25 student-athletes are still attending summer session classes, which conclude on Friday.

    The group will practice as a unit on Saturday for the first time.

    The Penguins have just 13 seniors on this year's squad, with eight on offense, four on defense and senior punter Ben Nowicki. YSU welcomed TCU transfer Sir Demarco Bledsoe to the mix on Tuesday. Bledsoe, a safety, saw action in eight games for the vaunted Horned Frogs defense last season.