Doug Phillips, Youngstown State have 'tremendous respect' for Kentucky

After working under Luke Fickell for three seasons at Cincinnati from 2017-19, Doug Phillips finally got a chance to lead his own program at the college level when Youngstown State named him the next head coach of the Penguins.

However, the former high school superintendent had his work cut out for him as YSU competes in the ultra-competitive Missouri Valley Conference that includes yearly national title contenders North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Last season, 6 of the 10 teams in the conference finished the season ranked inside the top 25.

The Guins are trying to rebuild in the preeminent conference at the FCS level. Phillips sees the rebuild Mark Stoops has done in Lexington as similar to what YSU is trying to build.

“I have tremendous respect for what Coach Stoops has done,” Phillips told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s almost like 10 years ago they said that Kentucky can’t compete in the SEC.”

“Playing in a tough conference is going to prepare you nationally just like they have Kentucky. You look at Kentucky they’re in the top 10 now and they compete in the SEC. They go to bowl games, they win, and their next step is to win the SEC. It’s kind of a blueprint. Can we do the same thing here at Youngstown State in the Missouri Valley? Can we recruit to what we need to? It started at Kentucky they had to recruit the players that Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida are recruiting. Then develop those young men to be able to compete week in and week out.”

After a 2-0 start in year three, there is some proof of concept in that rebuild as the Penguins were just included in the coaches poll at No. 23 overall. YSU has some momentum, and their players are excited for the challenge on Saturday. There is a big game feel surrounding the Penguins, but Phillips is not going to let his guys get ahead of themselves. YSU is planning to treat this like any other game.

“We don’t change how we practice,” Phillips said. “I strive to have the best Tuesday practice that we’ve had all year. Tomorrow, we’ll come back and try to have the best Wednesday practice. Regardless who your opponent is. Do I know they get excited? Yeah, they get excited for any game.”

Youngstown State is excited about the opportunity at Kroger Field, but it’s clear that the Penguins also recognize the program-building blueprint that Stoops has established in Lexington. YSU is attempting to do something similar in the FCS.