Mike Yurcich, who has led some of the nation's most explosive offenses at the Power Four level, was named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Youngstown State in January 2025.
Yurcich (YER-sitch) has spent 25 years coaching at the collegiate level, including 18 as an offensive coordinator, and most recently served as Penn State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2021-23. From 2013-23 he was the play caller at Penn State, Texas and Oklahoma State.
In 2023, the Nittany Lions averaged 36.2 points per game while scoring 56 touchdowns and converting 20-of-26 fourth-down opportunities. The unit had just eight turnovers, including throwing just two interceptions. A balanced attack, PSU had 215 yards passing a contest while rushing for 185 a game.
In 2022, PSU’s offense finished third in the Big Ten in fourth down conversion percentage (.700; 6th nationally), scoring offense (35.8) and total offense (433.6; 33rd). Quarterback Sean Clifford closed out his career breaking school records in wins by a starting quarterback (32), completions (833), passing touchdowns (86), passing yards (10,661) and total yards (11,734)
During Yurcich's first season in Happy Valley, Clifford finished sixth in the Big Ten in total offense (251.5) in 2021, while Dotson (91 receptions for 1,182 yards) and Parker Washington (64 receptions for 820 yards) were one of only five receiving tandems in the country to each have at least 64 catches and 820 yards.
In 2020 when Yurcich was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas, the Longhorns ranked eighth in FBS in scoring offense (42.7 ppg; second in Texas history), 16th in passing efficiency (156.2) and 19th in total offense (475.4 ypg).
Under Yurcich’s guidance, Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed 60.1 percent (184-306) of his passes with a Big 12-leading 25 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.
In his lone season at Ohio State as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2019), Yurcich helped the Buckeyes to a 13-1 record and a trip to the College Football Playoff, while molding QB Justin Fields into a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) Player of the Year Award, and the Davey O'Brien Award.
The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Fields was named second-team All-America by the WCFF, Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and Football Writers Association of America. Fields ranks second in Ohio State single-season history with 40 passing touchdowns, which is third in the nation this year, while throwing just three interceptions for the nation's best touchdown to interception ratio. He was also third in school history with 3,273 passing yards, and he accounted for a total of 51 touchdowns, just three shy of Dwayne Haskins' Big Ten record of 54 set last season. Fields finished the season responsible for 306 points, which is third in the nation, while his passing efficiency rating of 181.40 is fifth.
Overall, Ohio State was third in the nation in scoring offense, setting a school single-season record with 46.9 points per game, and is fifth in total offense with 529.9 yards per game, which is second in school history. The 656 total points scored this year are the second-most in program history and 16 behind the 2014 team's single-season record when the offense was guided by Herman. The Buckeyes rank fifth in the nation in team passing efficiency with a rating of 180.51, while leading the nation in third-down conversions at 55.2 percent.
Prior to his time at Ohio State, Oklahoma State experienced one of its great offensive eras under Yurcich, with the program averaging 38.0 points per game and 478.3 yards per game throughout his six-year run, compiling a record of 52-24 with four 10-win seasons and four bowl game victories. That included two appearances in New Year's Six games – the 2016 Sugar Bowl and the 2014 Cotton Bowl. The Cowboys scored 40 or more points 35 times and put up 50 or more points 15 times.
In 2018, Oklahoma State's offense ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring offense (13th, 38.4 ppg), total offense (10th, 500.2 ypg), passing offense (10th, 309.8 ypg) and total first downs (7th, 339). The Cowboys also ranked second in the Big 12 in rushing offense (190.3 ypg) and rushing touchdowns (30). Leading the way was walk-on quarterback Taylor Cornelius, who Yurcich developed into a top-10 ranked player nationally in passing yards (4th, 3,978), passing yards per game (6th, 306.0 ypg), passing touchdowns (8th, 32), total offense (6th, 337.3 ypg), points responsible for (5th, 252) and points responsible for per game (6th, 19.4 ppg).
The 2017 Oklahoma State offense was arguably the best in school history, featuring a 4,000-yard passer in Mason Rudolph, two 1,000-yard receivers in James Washington and Marcell Ateman and a 1,000-yard rusher in Justice Hill. That group led the Cowboys to a 10-3 season and a No. 14 final national ranking, capped by a win over Virginia Tech in the Camping World Bowl.
The Cowboy offense led the nation in passing yards (389.2 ypg), was second in total offense (568.9 ypg) and fourth in scoring (45.0 ppg). Rudolph was the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as college football's best senior quarterback, and Washington won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's outstanding receiver. Operating in Yurcich's offense for his entire college career, Washington finished as Oklahoma State's all-time leading receiver with 4,472 career yards, a mark that ranked second in Big 12 history.
The offense set single-season school records for total offense, total offense yards per game, yards per play, passing yards, pass efficiency, passing yards per attempt, passing yards per game and first downs, among numerous other records. It reached the 50-point mark in six games and eclipsed 500 yards of offense nine times, including a school-record 747 yards against Baylor.
In 2016, Oklahoma State was one of only two Power Five conference teams to produce a 4,000-yard passer (Rudolph), a 1,000-yard rusher (Hill) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Washington). The offense ranked in the top 20 in the nation in total offense (14th, 494.8 ypg), scoring offense (17th, 38.6 ppg), passing offense (9th, 323.9 ypg) and passing efficiency (158.37). The Cowboys posted a 10-3 record, a No. 11 final national ranking and defeated Colorado in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Yurcich coordinated a two-quarterback system in 2015 that was a central reason for Oklahoma State finishing 10-3 with a top-20 ranking and earning a berth into the Sugar Bowl. Rudolph ranked 17th nationally in passing yards (3,770) and seventh nationally in yards per completion (14.3 ypc). J.W. Walsh was responsible for 156 points despite having only 162 total offense attempts (0.92 points responsible for per total offense attempt). Rudolph and Walsh combined to throw 34 touchdown passes. As a whole, the offense ranked 14th in the nation in scoring (39.5 ppg), 22nd in total offense (480.0 ypg) and seventh in passing (353.2 ypg).
In 2014, Yurcich oversaw an offense that produced Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year Tyreek Hill and ranked in the top 13th nationally in red zone offense (.905). In his first season in Stillwater in 2013, the offense ranked 14th nationally in scoring (39.1 ppg) and 29th in passing offense (277.2 ypg). The Cowboys finished with a 10-3 record, a No. 17 final national ranking and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Over Yurcich's six years at Oklahoma State, the program ranked fifth nationally in passing yards per game (315.9), 11th in touchdown passes (179), seventh in total yards per game (478.6) and sixth in scoring (38.0 ppg).
Yurcich was hired at Oklahoma State after two seasons (2011-12) as offensive coordinator at Shippensburg University. His first Shippensburg team set numerous school records, including points scored, touchdowns and total offense. His second led the NCAA Division II in total offense (529.2 ypg) and was second in scoring (46.9 ppg) and passing (387.7 ypg) during an 11-2 campaign.
Quarterback Zach Zulli was one of his most decorated players, winning the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II. That year, he threw for 54 touchdowns, which tied the Division II record, and posted records for both total points scored (344) and total touchdowns (57).
Yurcich coached six seasons at Edinboro from 2005-10, handling quarterbacks and wide receivers in 2005 and adding offensive coordinator duties to his title for the five seasons between 2006 and 2010.
A four-year stay (1999-2002) at Saint Francis (Ind.) coaching running backs, quarterbacks and ultimately serving as offensive coordinator in 2002 was Yurcich's introduction into the coaching profession. He then moved on to an offensive graduate assistant position at Indiana University for the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
A native of Euclid, Ohio, Yurcich is a 1999 graduate of California University in Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Julie, who is from Youngstown, and was an All-America cross country runner at Edinboro, have three children: sons Jack and Clay, and a daughter, Maria.
