Brian Wright
Assistant Coach
Eighth Season
(Wooster, 1994)

    In his three years as Youngstown State's offensive coordinator, Brian Wright has helped the program put up some impressive numbers both on the field and in the win column.
    Wright is in his eighth year overall at YSU where he has handled the quarterbacks every campaign.
    The 2007 campaign was a bittersweet year for the program as four-year starter Tom Zetts concluded a brilliant career. Zetts completed his career as the school's all-time leader in passing yards, completions, attempts, touchdowns, starts, 200-yard games and completion percentage.
    Last year, Zetts was a second-team All-Gateway pick and for the third straight campaign he was a first-team Academic all-conference pick. Reserve quarterback Todd Rowan was also a first-team Academic All-Gateway selection.
    As a unit in 2007, YSU put up 27.4 points per contest while totaling 4,035 yards of total offense and committing 15 turnovers. The offense was fairly balanced with 196.5 yards coming on the ground and 170.4 coming through the air each game.
    In his three seasons as coordinator, YSU is 26-10 overall. As a unit, the offense has averaged more than 27 points in each of his three seasons - the longest streak since the early 1990's. For the first time in school history the Penguins have averaged 350 yards or more per game (382.3 in 2005, 381.6 in 2006 and 366.8 in 2007) in three consecutive seasons. In the past three years, the Guins have scored 30-or-more points 19 times, including nine 40-point games.
    In 2006, the Guins amassed 5,343 yards of total offense - third most in school history -- averaging 381.6 per game - the sixth best total. A scoring juggernaut, YSU averaged 31.4 points per contest - fourth best in school history - while scoring more than 30 points eight times and at least 27 points on 10 occasions.
  The offense had a school-record seven All-Gateway selections, including placing three on the first team. Two of those individuals were All-America selections - tailback Marcus Mason and center Ryan Jewell.
    YSU relied on a solid ground game in 2006 averaging 223.7 yards per game while the throwing for 157.9 a game. The offense had three 200-plus yard single-game rushing performances and 300-yard passing contest during the campaign. Of the 58 touchdowns scored by the team, 55 came from the offense, including 38 via the rush.
    In his 36 games as coordinator, YSU has scored more than 30 points 19 times (five in 2007, eight in 2006 and six in 2005) and more than 21 on 27 occasions. The Guins have committed just 48 turnovers in those 36 contests as well.
    While clicking on all cylinders during 2006, the offense was just as talented - and extremely balanced - in 2005.
    The offense averaged 382.3 yards per game, the fifth-best total in school history and the best per game output since 2001.
    The unit averaged almost identical numbers on the ground and through the air. The 191.6 yards rushing and 190.6 yards passing per contest. The passing yardage was the most averaged by the squad since 1987.
    The offense had five players named the All-Gateway team, including two first-team selections.
    YSU was also good at holding onto the football as the offense committed 16 turnovers, the second-lowest total in the past nine seasons.
    In 2004, Wright helped Tom Zetts, then a redshirt freshman, have one of the best seasons by a first-year signal caller in school history. Zetts, who was named the Gateway Conference's All-Newcomer team, completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 1,822 yards and 16 touchdowns while just throwing seven interceptions.
    Prior to the 2004 season, Wright had the title of recruiting coordinator added to his list of duties.
    In 2003, Wright worked as both the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. Kyle Smith finished the 2003 campaign with 530 yards receiving, the most by a Guin since 1999.
    In 2002, redshirt freshman Aaron Marshall took over the starting duties on the fourth game of the season and had a solid campaign. YSU went 5-2 with Marshall at the helm as he earned Gateway Football Conference All-Newcomer Team honors.
    In 2001, quarterback Jeff Ryan was a second-team All-Gateway Football Conference and honorable-mention All-America selection. Ryan finished his career as the Penguins’ all-time career leader in touchdown passes, total offensive yardage, total plays and rushing yards by a quarterback.
    That year, Ryan completed 96-of-161 passes for 1,201 yards and eight touchdowns while rushing for 521 yards, the second most by a quarterback in a single season.
    Before becoming a member of the YSU staff, he spent three seasons on the coaching staff at Walsh University.
    In 2000 at Walsh, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as the Cavaliers finished 7-3. Three members of his offensive unit earned NAIA All-America honors in 2000. The Cavs averaged 32.8 points and 378.1 yards per game while finishing second in the Midwest Division of the Mid-State Football Association.
    At Walsh University, Wright spent three seasons working with the offense. The last two years he was the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach. In his first season in 1998 he coached the wide receivers and was the team’s passing game coordinator. He also worked with the special teams.
    Wright spent the 1997 season with the Penguins as an offensive graduate assistant in charge of the wide receivers and helped with the on-campus recruiting aspects of the program. That year the Penguins finished 12-3 and beat McNeese State 10-9 in the Division I-AA National Championship game.
    For two seasons he was a offensive graduate assistant at Walsh where he worked with the wide receivers from 1995 through 1997 prior to joining the YSU staff his first time.
    Wright had a standout career as a wide receiver at the College of Wooster from 1990 through 1994. Wright was a three-year letterwinner and was a two-time captain for the Scots as a wide receiver. In his final two seasons, he led the team in receptions and receiving yards. His football career was cut short by a knee injury his senior season. He was a student assistant his final year at Wooster.
    He earned his bachelor’s degree in business economics at the College of Wooster in 1994 and his master’s in education from Walsh in 1998.
    Brian and his wife, Laura, have a son Jacob and a daughter, Marielle.