Spring Preview: Experience Powers YSU’s Offensive Line

Continuity Up Front

Following a season in which the offense scored 30-or-more points in ten games and allowed just 17 sacks, retaining the entire front line was a top priority during the offseason.

Despite the coaching staff experimenting with different rotations last season, the offensive line remained intact.

Senior leadership is a defining trait of the returning lineup. Five significant contributors on the front line are seniors, while two other impact players are juniors.

With so much talent, depth, and experience back on the offensive line coupled with the return of quarterback Beau Brungard, YSU will look to maintain and improve upon a unit that averaged nearly 37 points and around 460 yards per game.

Key Returners

Left tackle Desmeal Leigh (6-7, 325) headlines the group of returning offensive linemen. Last season, Leigh earned Second Team All-MVFC accolades, starting all 13 contests and playing every snap in nine games.

A tackle with a large frame, Leigh has found success at the FCS level despite playing just one season of high school football at Roosevelt. After a redshirt season at YSU, he broke through in 2023 with 13 starts at left tackle before being named Honorable Mention All-MVFC the following year.

Center Van Keen (6-4, 305) started ten games last fall, with nine at center and one at right guard. In 2024, he started all eight MVFC games at center.

The right side of the offensive line returns RG Joe Sferra (6-3, 305) and RT Shane Keenan (6-5, 305). Sferra started last season at right guard, playing the first seven and eight of the first nine games at the position. He was moved to left guard for the final three games of the season.

Keenan also had his role changed, as he started the first five games at right tackle and then rotated to the right guard slot.

The changes along the offensive line gave depth pieces like Matthew Keeley (6-3, 285) and Nicholas Nielsen (6-6, 270) opportunities to start. Keeley started four games at center during MVFC play and Nielsen held down the right tackle job for the final four games of the season.

Left guard Isaac Perkins (6-4, 305) rounds out the bunch of offensive linemen vying for starting roles. Perkins carries with him tremendous experience. He started 15 games at Colgate and made ten starts last year for the Penguins.

If YSU has another successful offensive season, a large part of that will be because of the offensive line’s collective decision to come back.