By William Staten / The Jambar
Football has gained a large amount of popularity from Youngstown State University’s student body over the past year, after the team improved from a 4-8 record in the 2024-25 season to an 8-5 record and a playoff appearance in the 2025-26 season. Fifth-year senior Beau Brungard’s recognition as the 2025 Walter Payton Award recipient and the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year spawned attention across campus surrounding the team’s potential.
This attention is showing in a number of ways, including the debut and continuation of several Instagram fan accounts dedicated to Youngstown State football.
@BeauBrungardLover was created this month, with its first post Aug. 12. The account is inspired by @DrakeMayeLover, a fan page dedicated to Drake Maye, the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots in the National Football League. @DrakeMayeLover has amassed over 380,000 followers on Instagram since it began posting in 2024.
The admin for @BeauBrungardLover, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that the account’s goal wasn’t to chase personal attention, but to give Brungard the recognition they feel the quarterback deserves.
“The main reason I started [the account] was … because I thought it would be a funny account that everyone can enjoy,” the admin @BeauBrungardLover stated. “One of the main reasons I’m anonymous is I don’t want people to think I’m clout chasing or trying to get attention off [Brungard’s] name. I genuinely think he deserves more recognition from the mainstream of college football, and [Football Championship Subdivision] football in general.”
The Jambar reached out to Brungard and head coach Doug Phillips for comment. They have not responded at the time of publishing.
Other accounts aimed to promote enthusiasm among students in an attempt to increase attendance. @YSU.stu, dubbing itself the “Unofficial YSU Student Section,” was created two weeks before this year’s season began. The admin for @YSU.stu, who also wishes to remain anonymous, said that they were motivated to start the account because of a perceived lack of attendance at games across all sports.
“I was just tired of me and my friends being one of a couple dozen … people at all the different sporting events,” the admin for @YSU.stu said. “I think [sports are] a good way to show support to your school. To have fun, have a good time, to meet new people and to be a part of the greater Youngstown community.”
@YSU.stu, in a collaboration with @BarstoolYSU — an account with over 2,000 followers on Instagram — urged fans to wear red to match the team’s uniforms for the game. Hundreds of students showed up wearing red, which the admin for @YSU.stu’s said excited them.
“I’m really proud of the amount of people we got out for game one. That was really impressive, and really astounding for me to see,” the admin for @YSU.stu said. “The real test will be week three vs. [Duquesne University] to see if we can keep that ball rolling.”
@BarstoolYSU, who created the account in November 2025, said they were frustrated by their perception of lacking media coverage for the team. “I think with how good the football team was, [it] made me wish it could get more attention,” the admin for @BarstoolYSU stated. “Everyone on the team that I have talked to or seen in interviews wants that stadium packed, and the way the team has played deserves it for sure.”
@BarstoolYSU said they appreciate accounts such as @BeauBrungardLover and @YSU.stu, that encourage more people to make accounts and post content relating to Youngstown State.
“The more the merrier,” the admin for @BarstoolYSU said. “A lot of times they are doing stuff that I can’t do on my own … and I definitely encourage more people to do stuff like that.”
When asked for further comment, the admin for @BarstoolYSU advocated for the student body to attend games and improve the experience.
“Go to [the] games,” the admin for @BarstoolYSU said. “It’s so worth it, and makes the student experience 100% better.”