Miami Hurricanes Passing Attack: WR Colbie Young the Answer?
For Miami Hurricanes receiver Colbie Young, it's been quite a journey. From Binghamton, New York to Lackawanna College in Pennsylvania, and then to Coral Gables, Fla., and finally last Saturday into the end zone at Hard Rock Stadium. Last weekend's game against North Carolina was Young's first real action against Power 5 competition, and he flourished under the bright lights.
He may not have led the Canes in receiving, that honor belongs to tight end Will Mallory, who brought in eight receptions for 115 yards. But few players shined brighter than Young on his three catches, one of which was a 16-yard touchdown catch against single coverage.
At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Young has the frame to put defensive backs at a serious disadvantage, especially in the red zone, where Miami has had their fair share of problems this fall. His athleticism and ball skills make him especially dangerous, and when you take a step back, Young might create a more difficult mismatch than any other pass catcher on this roster.
His route running certainly needs a bit of polishing, and he's by no means a burner, like Key'Shawn Smith or Brashard Smith. Young isn't slow though, he proved that when he ran right by a Tar Heels defensive back on his touchdown score.
His agility, length, and ability to high point the ball give him a lot of leverage in possession situations. The Canes have struggled in the red zone and having a big body like Young threatening defenses on the outside can do more than just get Miami some jump ball catches.
With Young on the boundary, it forces the defense to spread out to account for his likely size advantage on whoever's assigned to cover him. This is especially true in the red zone, and it will often force a safety to at least shift over to help on Young, taking two players out of the equation if Miami decides to run the ball or exploit another matchup in the passing game.
It also gives quarterback Tyler Van Dyke another large receiver, similar in size to the 6-5 Mallory, who is clearly a favorite target for the redshirt-sophomore gunslinger. At his height, Young is simply easier for Van Dyke to find sometimes and has shown hands reliable enough to make catches in traffic. That combined with his downfield mobility make him the ideal route runner for a deep-ball quarterback like Van Dyke.
Additionally, with wideout Xavier Restrepo still sidelined for some time, the Hurricanes could certainly use a boost in the pass catching department. Van Dyke looked like his old self again after throwing for 496 yards and three touchdowns against UNC, and it looked like Young fit into that game plan pretty well.
Miami takes on Virginia Tech this weekend, where they'll look to earn both their first ACC win and their first road win of 2022. Young might just be the missing piece to their budding offense.
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