Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Youngstown State defensive back Dathan Hickey tries to pump up the home crowd during the Penguins’ home win over Southern Illinois on Nov. 8 at Stambaugh Stadium.

YOUNGSTOWN — When Dathan Hickey takes the field at Stambaugh Stadium and lines up against Yale in the first round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday, it’ll be a “full-circle moment” for the Youngstown State defensive back.

Hickey was a part of the Bulldogs’ program from 2018-23, before he transferred to YSU ahead of the 2024 season.

Hickey went through a lot during his last couple years at Yale and his first year at YSU. But he came through the fire and will help lead the Penguins’ defense against the Bulldogs, just as he has throughout the season.

“God is everything, and leaning on Him during those dark moments and those dark times is what got me through,” Hickey said in an interview last week. “It really told me the truth of who I am and where I can be as a player — that I can be better than I was. And I think I’m playing really good football right now. I think I’m more physical, I’m making plays and I’m running faster. Everything that I’m doing now is just a testament to my faith.”

A native of Bristol, Connecticut, Hickey first arrived at Yale in 2018 after a decorated career at Bristol Central High School.

He played in 16 games during his first two years with the Bulldogs, registering 53 tackles and three interceptions. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the Ivy League canceled the season.

Hickey appeared in eight games in 2021, but suffered a pair of season-ending injuries during both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Hoping a change of scenery would help rejuvenate his career, Hickey transferred to YSU ahead of the 2024 season. He arrived in Youngstown coming off a meniscus injury during his last year at Yale.

“We got it repaired, so they didn’t cut it out, and so I had a little longer recovery,” Hickey said. “Came back, started winter workouts here, played spring ball, probably three or four practices. Then the fifth practice, I went through a drill and did something to my knee again.”

Hickey’s doctors discovered another meniscus tear in his knee, and he opted for the surgery that would allow him to return quicker. But during surgery, his doctors found that he also had partially torn his ACL, just like he had in 2022 at Yale.

Those injuries caused him to miss the entirety of the 2024 season.

Hickey was devastated. Each time he was close to making a return, he’d have a setback, and as his body suffered physically, he began to struggle mentally as well.

“It was really dark days,” Hickey said. “A lot of times, I was there for my teammates during the day, and then when I went home, I was just in my room alone, just feeling bad for myself and being like, ‘How can I keep doing this?’ When it happens for the fourth time, you’re like, ‘Will I ever be the same player I was?’ A lot of doubts do creep in.”

But Hickey had a goal in mind. He wanted to play in the NFL. He owed it to himself and all the people in his life to keep pushing forward, even despite everything working against him.

“When I got hurt, I lost that football identity a little bit,” Hickey said. “It was, ‘What did you set out to do? Who did you say you were going to be? Are you going to quit?’ I sat with myself for a while talking about that, and that’s one thing I don’t do, is quit. So with that, my siblings, my parents and all the stuff they sacrificed to get me to where I am now, I would be doing myself and them a disservice if I didn’t try. So I tell people all the time, I’ll keep going until I physically cannot go again or somebody tells me I can’t play.”

Now after multiple surgeries and long-term injuries, Hickey is just grateful for the opportunity to be back on the field this season.

“When you have the game taken away from you, you have such a bigger appreciation for it,” Hickey said. “I wasn’t able to do this for almost two years. I’m going to make sure that I get everything out of it. And if it is my last play, at least I could tell myself that I went out by going all out. I didn’t want to live with regret.”

He made his return for spring practice, but he did only non-contact work for the entirety of spring. He was fully cleared for contact again around April and was full-go for summer workouts and fall camp.

“That was actually one of the best offseasons I’ve ever had,” Hickey said.

In YSU’s season opener against Mercyhurst in August, Hickey made his return from injury with a splash. He led the team with 13 tackles, while also forcing a fumble, recovering another and intercepting a pass.

“It really showed that all the time that I was waiting and all the football that I was learning throughout the years I wasn’t playing, it all came into action when I was doing it,” Hickey said. “But it was more of me just doing my job and me being so excited to play that I was just out there like a little kid and just having fun with it.”

Throughout the season, Hickey has continued to contribute on the back end of the Penguins’ defense. Despite missing three games with another minor injury, he’s sixth on the team with 57 total tackles and he has two pass breakups with a team-high two interceptions.

“After you have a performance like that, it’s easy to be like, ‘I want it again, I want it again…'” Hickey said. “But I think the biggest thing for me was to try to refocus every week. To be like, make sure you do your job for your team. And if that performance comes again, it does. But if it doesn’t, as long as I do my job, I’m good.”

While making it back to the playoffs was always the goal this season for YSU after going 4-8 last year, Hickey and the other older Penguins just wanted to have the chance to play at least one more game together to end their careers.

“It’s more football,” Hickey said with a smile. “It’s a blessing to be part of this team. We talk a lot about how this team is full of guys that got second chances, whether it’s coming back from injury, coming from a D-II program or walk-ons. That’s what this team is. For this team to come together, for the culture change to fully shift from last year, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. I just want to basically play more football with my brothers. It’s not about playoffs, it’s more about how long can I play with these guys for?”

Hickey and the rest of the Penguins kickoff the playoffs against Yale on Saturday at noon at Stambaugh Stadium.