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YOUNGSTOWN - A phone conversation began right around this time last weekend between Youngstown State athletic director Ron Strollo and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.

What was said is unknown, but the topic had to be an interesting one for Tressel, the person who built YSU into a national powerhouse during the 1990s. Strollo was just informed that Jon Heacock - Tressel's successor - was stepping down as coach of the Penguins and called Tressel to pick his brain about what to do about the vacancy. There has not been a quest like this since the university hired Tressel (Heacock was recommended by Tressel and there was no search). So Strollo, ultimately, was talking to Tressel about how to find the next "Tressel."

''Obviously you are (looking for another Tressel),'' said Strollo at a press conference on the Monday morning following Heacock's resignation. ''There are going to be a lot of good coaches who are interested in this position. Really, it's trying to figure out if this person is a good fit here ... because good coaches still fail in different situations.''

It's hard to figure out just who will take on that daunting task because while Strollo said he wants to make a hire ''quickly'' (preferably before Christmas) he also has not mentioned any specific names of candidates. That has led to mass speculation about who will try to revive YSU football.

Popular belief is that the job will go to someone who worked under Tressel during his years at YSU, or who is originally from the area. Strollo, however, said past experience under Tressel is not a requirement nor is being a native of the Mahoning Valley. Yet, his strong loyalty to Tressel and the Youngstown fan base make that hard to believe.

Numerous names have surfaced over the past week, but Strollo has not made any indication of who he is or isn't considering. He did admit that there was an immediate interest in the position, saying he received several phone calls during the 24 hours following Heacock's announcement. It's likely many of those phone calls were made by agents of coaches who are intrigued by the opportunity. The business aspect of coaching has changed dramatically over the years, and most coaches will have their agents check with the university's athletic director to find out if the school is interested.

The obvious candidates are assistant coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools (Division I) who are looking to take the next step in their careers. The word "step" is an important one because most applicants probably plan on using the YSU job to show they're capable of running a program, so they can eventually move on to a more prominent school - similar to what Tressel has done at Ohio State. And that's fine with Strollo.

''I'm not worried about a coach wanting to use this as a stepping stone,'' he said, ''because if he's able to move on to the job that he wants, and a job that's even close to Ohio State, that means he left us in pretty good shape, and I'm comfortable with that.''

That philosophy makes this spot even more appealing for young, up-and-coming assistant coaches such as Don Treadwell, the offensive coordinator at Michigan State who spent five seasons (1986-91) at Youngstown State under Tressel. He worked with the receivers, running backs and quarterbacks before becoming offensive coordinator in 1991, when YSU won its first of four national titles.

The 49-year-old Treadwell has been the Spartans' offensive coordinator the past three years under coach Mark Dantonio. Teams have been known for developing balanced offensive attacks under his tutelage as he's successfully accomplished that at Michigan State, Cincinnati (offensive coordinator from 2004-06) and Ball State (2003). He's an Oberlin native.

Another name that's been mentioned is Eric Wolford, a Youngstown native who is currently the offensive line coach at South Carolina. Wolford, 38, held the same position at Illinois, and the Illini led the Big Ten rushing (2007) and passing (2008) in back-to-back seasons. Three Illinois linemen earned postseason awards in 2008 when the Illini were second in the Big Ten in total offense. His line also helped pave the way for Rashard Mendenhall's record-setting season in 2007, and allowed just 16 sacks (a school record) that year.

Wolford also spent three years as Arizona's offensive line coach (2004-06) and was said to have a strong impact in recruiting. During that span, the Wildcats led the Pac-10 in fewest sacks allowed in '04 and were second in '05. He has no known ties with Tressel, nor the university.

One person who does have a strong local connection is Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops. The Cardinal Mooney graduate has been leading the Wildcats' defense for six years and has helped develop some of the nation's top defensive backs. He's tutored the likes of Antoine Cason, a first-round NFL draft pick in 2008 and Wilrey Fontenot (seventh round in '08) while at Arizona.

Prior to that, he was the defensive backs coach at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 2001-03. Stoops, 42, coached some of the nation's best defensive backs during that time, and the Hurricanes led the nation in pass defense in 2002 and 2003. He helped foster the growth of Phillip Buchanon, Mike Rumph and Ed Reed, who were all taken in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft, the first time ever three players from the same secondary were taken in the first round. Some of the other defensive backs he coached while at Miami were: Antrel Rolle (first-round pick), Sean Taylor (first round) and Alfonso Marshall (seventh round).

It's difficult to say who of these, if any, will be the most highly regarded. Strollo did talk extensively about the candidate needing to possess a good, national recruiting background, so it's hard to discount any of them. It's likely that the person who best conveys his talent for recruiting players from northeastern Ohio, as well as other areas of the country, would be the frontrunner.

Other names mentioned as possible candidates are: Carl Pelini (defensive coordinator at Nebraska), Pat Narduzzi (defensive coordinator at Michigan State whose father, Bill, coached YSU before Tressel), Michael Tressel (Jim's nephew who is a special teams and linebackers coach at Michigan State), Walt Harris (former Pitt head coach and quarterbacks coach at Akron), Nick Siciliano (QB coach at Ohio State), Bob Davie (former YSU player and Notre Dame coach), Larry Kehres (Mount Union coach) and Pete Rekstis (former YSU defensive coordinator and current Kent State defensive coordinator).

jsimon@tribtoday.com