Scouting Report: Florida Gators Elite 2023 RB Target Richard Young

An early evaluation on one of the top running backs in the class of 2023. who already holds an offer from the Florida Gators.

Lehigh High School running back Richard Young is a special talent. The class of 2023 prospect is already receiving offers from across the country, including the University of Florida.

When a running back prospect earns offers from the likes of Florida, Miami, Penn State, Wisconsin, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU among others before he plays a down of his sophomore year of high school, you know you've got something special.

After seeing and meeting Young on Friday night, it became easy to see why he earned those offers. He’s not only a physically gifted athlete, he’s driven to succeed. A mature person for a young man that will not turn 16 until November, Young wants to be great.

The 6-0, 195-pound running back already possesses several additional attributes to make him a special player.

Vision

During several runs and pass receptions, Young allowed his blocking to take shape before committing. Once he did commit, Young made decisive cuts and also lowered his pads to gain extra yards. Rarely does a scout see a high school sophomore running back with the vision of Young.

Cutting Back

From his vision, Young’s ability to hit the cut back lane afforded him two touchdowns for the evening. During his first run into the end zone, Young broke back across the grain and out ran the safety that had the angle. Very impressive, but not even his best run.

Young made subtle cuts when less space presented itself; those cuts resulted in extra yardage and better down and distance situations. That’s winning football.

Patience and Decision Making

Some plays presented opportunities for those cut back lanes, while others were quick hitters. Regardless, Young provided quality decisions. Hitting the cut back lane being one, other plays presented opportunities to run over a smaller defender and that’s what he did. He made good choices, especially for being such a young player at his position.

The best part of seeing this unfold Friday is knowing that Young still can learn more and institute it into his game. That’s impressive within itself.

Power

When Young lowered his shoulder pads, he created a lot of power. He already squats 495 pounds, and it showed Friday night. Young can still get lower before delivering a blow, but he’s already capable of bowling over a defender.

He really uses his shoulder pads to create power through contact, also falling forward after contact. As he learns how to use his strength after contact -- through angles and leverage -- Young will be even more difficult to tackle.

Speed

This was the area that surprised the most. Young’s burst after reaching the second level: Fantastic. He’s quick in the box and that’s great, but even more impressive, he’s fast enough to outrun defensive backs that are smaller than himself.

With Young’s speed and track background, he’s likely to get even faster. He is a true home run hitter once he reaches the second level.

Florida will be one of several programs that goes after Young. It’s going to be a three year battle to land this incredibly talented prospect. I look forward to seeing him play again later this season.

You can find Sports Illustrated recruiting analyst Brian Smith on Twitter @fbscout_florida

Brian Smith's Florida recruiting podcast can be found on Podbean: https://fbscoutflorida.podbean.com/