2021 Recruit Profile: Florida Gators Cornerback Commit Jordan Young

Taking a look at the recruiting history and long-term outlook for Florida's latest 2021 commit, cornerback Jordan Young.

Jordan Young, Cornerback

School: Gaither (Tampa, Fla.)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds

247Sports Composite Rating: Three stars, No. 29 cornerback, No. 63 state, No. 381 national

Recruitment History

A school camp standout not unlike other lower-rated commits that the Gators have brought into their classes under head coach Dan Mullen, Young presents a lot of upside and Florida saw that early in his recruiting process.

Florida was the fourth school to offer Young, as he collected seven offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State, Iowa and others in less than a week beginning in June of 2019. At the time, Young was enrolled at Tampa Jesuit and teamed up with Florida 2020 tight end signee Jonathan Odom. Young has collected a total of 27 offers.

Young visited Florida multiple times prior to his commitment, making the two-hour trek from Tampa most recently for UF's junior day event in February.

Had fun in the swamp today 🤟🏾🐊 #GoGators pic.twitter.com/TiD6D5y5cx

— T H E 🚨 W A R D E N👮🏾‍♂️ (@jordanyoung_1) February 2, 2020

Despite plenty of attention from schools across the nation along the way, regardless of relatively average recruiting rankings, Young knew before his senior season that he wanted to play for Florida. Young committed on June 21st, 2020, just over a year after receiving his offer.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Young has been very active on social media sharing videos of his training in preparation for the upcoming season and his college career. Working with local Tampa prospects such as Plant wide receiver and Oklahoma commit Mario Williams.

Working with bro getting better everyday💯🤞🏾 @MarioWill00 pic.twitter.com/l5ZcX7eiGq

— T H E 🚨 W A R D E N👮🏾‍♂️ (@jordanyoung_1) March 31, 2020

Young joins Clinton Burton Jr. (St. Frances, Md.), Kamar Wilcoxson (IMG Academy, Fla.), and safety Dakota Mitchell (Winter Park, Fla.) as defensive backs currently in Florida's 2021 recruiting haul. Young, Wilcoxson, and Mitchell committed to Florida within four days of each other.

Long-Term Fit and Outlook

Young should fit right in at Florida's boundary cornerback position, currently held by rising sophomore Kaiir Elam after previous starter C.J. Henderson was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Young's length and physicality make him a candidate to press receivers at the boundary and especially in the redzone.

While Young is currently a three-star prospect and Elam finished as a top 50 player in his class, the two bear resemblance physically and in their style of play. This isn't to say Young will step up at Florida as a freshman and allow a ridiculously good 18.3 passer rating in coverage (per Pro Football Focus) as Elam did last season, but there are comparisons to be made in their games.

As a prospect, Elam stood at a near-identical frame to Young at 6-1, 183 lbs. coming out of Benjamin (North Palm Beach, Fla,). Often playing press, both made their presence known by disrupting routes early and often, bumping and running in stride with receivers and swiping away hands. 

Young and Elam both have a knack for breaking up contested catches, given their length and solid vertical jumps. Both contributed across their high school special teams units as returners and in return coverage.

Patient eyes and quick read-and-reaction skills allow Young to make his presence known in short zone coverage and as a tackler. Young possesses solid long speed, but probably not enough to man up against burners at the college level. Rather, his physicality will allow him to take on big-bodied receivers and make an impact in run defense. With violent block shedding abilities early in his career, Young carries the flexibility to play STAR on run downs as a big nickel corner as well. 

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