One of the brightest spots in covering YSU football this season was the chance to speak with Brian Mellott.  Mellott is very intelligent, in fact, he graduated in August.  He is loyal to Coach Heacock and the YSU system and feels he has come out a better person.  Brian is one of just twelve Seniors who will be playing one last time in front of the Youngstown State faithful.

Paneech: Coming out of Austintown Fitch, you went to Ohio University.  You redshirted in 2005 and transferred to YSU.  Why the transfer?

Mellott: It just wasn’t for me down there.  I never really felt comfortable and got hurt on the very first day of camp.  I had surgery and was out of the loop.  I never felt like I was really part of anything there [Ohio University].  These guys [YSU] were winning back home.  There are friends and family here and that is how it all kind of worked out.

Paneech: When you got to YSU, you were a defensive lineman and now you are an offensive guard.  How did that happen?

Mellott: We lost an All-American Center, Ryan Jewell, during my Redshirt Freshman year.  They [coaching staff] were looking for a guy to try it.  They approached me about playing center, which I was at first, unsure about.  It ultimately came down to playing and I got that chance, took it, and never turned back.

Paneech: You have flirted with an overall GPA of 4.0.  What do you attribute your academic success to?

Mellott: Just showing up in class every day and paying attention.  My parents stressed to me when I was young to take advantage of all of the opportunities you will get.  I have got to be here anyways, so I may as well take advantage of it.  I realized that I was ahead of schedule and realized I might be able to get more use out of my scholarship by continuing.

Paneech: When did you graduate and what are you doing with your days now?

Mellott: I graduated right around the time of the second jersey scrimmage, sometime in August.  I have about 11 hours of the 32 that I need in for my MBA.  I will finish it up in July.  These days I am able to get some rest, I sleep a little bit longer.  I prepare for the week, watch films, and receive treatments if I need them.  After football practice, I go straight to class four nights a week.

Paneech: How much salvation can this team get out of winning these last two games?

Mellott: Well, that’s all that is left now.  It’s all about pride and how you want to go out.

Paneech: This group of Seniors is really unified.  I don’t see any fingerpointing, bickering, or hear any excuses for the somewhat average record.  How frustrated are you to know that this team has still not played a complete game?

Mellott: I couldn’t sit here and try to put it into words.  When you sit back and look at some of those games, you just wonder what could have been.  It will not help us beat Illinois State.  We will have time in two weeks to reflect and do that.  Our goal now is to play four solid quarters so we can look back and say, hey, we went out with a bang.

Paneech: Looking back at four years here as a player, which team was the most fun to be a part of?

Mellott: It was definitely 2006, just because of the winning.  I kind of got spoiled by that situation.  They had 27 Seniors that season.  We worked hard every year I was here.  That team [2006] had alot of guys who were making plays.  I was lucky to be along for the ride.  I wasn’t expected to play in any of those games, but I traveled with the team, it was almost like a vacation every week.  I got to watch and see alot of things and I got in here and there, but the whole playoff thing was an amazing experience.

Paneech: There is alot of references at the press conferences about the 2008 team and the internal problems that existed.  How bad did it get last season?

Mellott: I wouldn’t even say you could pinpoint one thing.  We lost Mychal Savage real quick and people don’t realize, maybe next year they will, that his presence carries alot of weight around here.  His presence on the field makes guys more accountable.  I think losing a guy like that hurt alot.  Then you have guys quitting, and that divides the team somewhat.  As young as the team is this year, we were even younger last year.  When you have alot of young guys, the focus shifts, the losses snowball, and it just is not a good situation.

Paneech: When does a press conference, where so many negative questions get asked, become an annoyance?

Mellott: It was annoying at the first one I did, where the negative questions started popping out.  The other two were not as bad.  When I walked into the press conferences, I told myself that I would not sidestep any questions.  I don’t think it is annoying, and I understand that it is the jobs that you guys have to ask the hard questions sometimes.  As a Senior, it is my job and provide a solid answer that not only the reporters can understand, but also the fans.

Paneech: Being a local guy, how would you convince athletes to attend YSU instead of going somewhere bigger?

Mellott:  I made that mistake when I went to OU.  If you are being recruited by a big school, 9 times out of 10, you are going to go.  The things that are making schools popular these days are: Do you have a sponsor, how many games are on TV, is there an indoor practice facility, and the material things drive the signings.  I wasn’t at OU long, and I am not bashing them by any means, but I just never felt right being there.  It’s a genuine family-type atmosphere here, and that is hard for a guy coming out of high school to appreciate or understand.

Paneech: Much has been said lately about Coach Heacock and maybe it being time to go.  Do you think he will be asked to come back?

Mellott: I pray he will be asked to come back.  I don’t see how you can take a guy like that and not be able to show him off as an asset to your team.  People around here don’t realize how lucky we are to have a guy like that.  He puts time and effort in that you couldn’t ask for.  He has two kids and a wife who miss him at home.  The winning has not been around the last couple of years.  This season he took a more hands-on approach by taking over the defense, and from last year to this year, you would be crazy to not give him the credit.  I don’t think that it is fair and that they would be cutting themselves short to get rid of him.  I dont think it is called for and there are always going to be peaks and valleys, but that is your guy, so you have to stick with him.  It bothers me that I am a part of the reason that he is in this situation.

One Word Answers

Favorite Board Game: Monopoly.

Favorite Flavor of Handel’s Ice Cream: Cookie dough.

Best Show On Television: (long pause and a laugh)  SportsCenter.

Favorite Holiday: New Years Eve.

Best Musician Out There: Tim McGraw.

Worst Habit: Saying “Uh and Um” too much in interviews.

Favorite NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys.

Favorite NFL Player: Jason Witten , Jay Ratliff.

Best Area Pizza: Wedgewood.

One Word To Describe The Season: Frustrating.

One Word To Describe Tax Season: (hardest question I asked) Exciting.

Dream Car: Escalade truck.