Correspondent file photo / Robert Hayes. YSU head coach Doug Phillips addresses the team at the end of the Penguins’ second intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 16 at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State head coach Doug Phillips said this time of year “is like Christmas.”

Meanwhile, both senior safety Dathan Hickey and senior receiver Luke Hensley also indicated their excitement during Tuesday’s press conference to finally line up against players other than their teammates.

That can only mean one thing — game week is finally here for the Penguins after a long offseason. YSU will kick off the 2025 season against Mercyhurst tonight at 6 p.m. (ESPN+/570 WKBN) at Stambaugh Stadium.

“You can prepare all you want, but you’re preparing off things that happened last fall, whether you’re Mercyhurst or Youngstown State,” Phillips said. “There’s a lot of new faces at Mercyhurst and there’s a lot of new faces here. So no matter how hard you prepare, you better be ready for the unexpected. Going through camp and through spring, those are the things that we focused on.

“You try to have a mindset of what complementary football looks like and what we want to look like. You go all through camp with offense versus defense — often ultra competitive, now how do you bring that team together as one? I think that’s the greatest challenge and it’s something we talk about every day. But come Thursday night at 6:02, we will be one, and we gotta be ready to play great football.”

After stumbling to a 4-8 record last year, the Penguins hope to turn things around this season and chase another FCS playoff bid after making it in 2023.

YSU has battled through a couple tumultuous offseasons which saw the team experience significant turnover because of the transfer portal. The program saw significant personnel losses to the portal after the playoff season in 2023, and has since been trying to build itself back up.

“We’re all learning. It’s a whole new era of college football with the portal and NIL,” Phillips said. “You look back at mistakes you made two or three years ago, and the one thing that we really focus on is controlling what we can control. We can’t control who may leave us, but I can control how many freshmen we bring in every year. That’s probably the No. 1 thing we learned.”

This offseason, the Penguins felt like they found some stability with their roster. While there were still a few portal departures last December after the 2024 season, YSU brought back most returning players that still had eligibility on both sides of the ball.

“Not losing a player in the spring portal was huge for us. This was the first spring we’ve ever done that,” Phillips said. “Those fourth-year, fifth-year guys have a strong bond, and they want to prove it. They were part of that playoff run, they were part of going 4-8 last year, and I think they stuck together. Their focus is it’s been a player-led program probably more than it’s ever been in the last six years.”

Throughout fall camp, the coaches reiterated how important maintaining that level of roster continuity has been for this group.

“I would say we’re a veteran team,” Phillips said. “I think that’s where you see the leadership. Some of these guys had other opportunities, but guess what? They chose to stay in this locker room. They chose to represent Youngstown State University and Youngstown State football.”

Plus, the Penguins have put an added emphasis on high school recruiting. Leaning into their identity as a “developmental program,” YSU brought in 29 freshmen this offseason to fill out the roster.

“I really believe in today’s world, you gotta keep bringing in really good freshmen,” Phillips said. “Some of those guys are going to play. There’s a different type of player available to you now that’s coming out of high school because some teams just go straight portal.”

Thursday night’s opponent, Mercyhurst, is heading into its second season as a Division I program after playing at the Division II level since 1993.

Like YSU the last couple years, the Lakers have undergone significant roster turnover this offseason. Mercyhurst has brought in 56 new players, including 20 transfers and 36 freshmen.

But the Lakers still expect to feature an explosive passing offense, led by returning starting quarterback Adam Urena, who was named preseason NEC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 2,773 passing yards and 31 touchdowns last season.

Urena’s leading receiver Cam Barmore transferred to Arizona, but Mercyhurst still returned Rylan Davison and Urena’s twin brother, Austin, at receiver, who combined for 631 yards and seven touchdowns last year.

“They can throw the football … so they can put points on the board,” Phillips said. “They’re making the transition. I think Coach (Ryan) Riemedio does a great job as head coach. He’s been there. He understands it’s almost like Youngstown in the 80s, making that move from Division II to Division I-AA.

“I know Thomas Sydeski, their offensive coordinator. He’s an up-and-coming guy. Talked to him many times. Very smart, very intelligent. Knows how to attack a defense. … We know their quarterback can get the ball out quickly and complete passes, and it’s going to be a challenge for our defense.”