Bo Pelini says he now has president who 'understands football'

Bo Pelini, the new coach at Youngstown State, said at a news conference on Wednesday that he now has a president that "understands football," something Pelini is unsure if he has enjoyed previously.

Nebraskafired Pelini late last month after he led the Cornhuskers to a 66-27 record over seven seasons. Harvey Perlman served as the chancellor of Nebraska during Pelini's tenure. The Cornhuskers replaced Pelini with former Oregon State coach Mike Riley.

Pelini described Youngstown State's Jim Tressel as “a president who understands football, who's going to support me, something I don’t know if I've ever had,” according to ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg.

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Tressel, who was formally installed as Youngstown State's president in August, served as the coach at Ohio State for 10 seasons before being implicated in an impermissible benefits scandal.

Tressel officially resigned in May 2011.

Youngstown State announced Pelini's hiring on Tuesday. He will replace Eric Wolford, who was fired in November after leading the Penguins to a 31-26 record over five seasons.

• RICKMAN: JimTresselcould be the president Youngstown State needs