YOUNGSTOWN — More than a week has passed since Youngstown State’s improbable second-half meltdown against Yale in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

While the eight remaining teams in the playoffs are preparing for the quarterfinals this upcoming weekend, the Penguins have entered the offseason and the work to prepare for next season has begun.

Despite finishing the 2025 season with an 8-5 record, YSU has a lot of self-reflection to do.

While the offense reached new heights with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback Beau Brungard’s emergence as one of the best, most dynamic players in the country, the defense struggled throughout most of Missouri Valley Football Conference play, exhibiting many of the same issues that plagued the unit in 2024.

“We gotta find answers to compete

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