Get to Know Miami’s Colbie Young
Coming from Scranton, Pa., Colbie Young grew up there prior to moving to Binghamton, N.Y., far from New York City. Like many elite Division 1 athletes, he was dominant at Binghamton High School.
Young was a superstar on the football field and on the basketball hardwood. He averaged 21 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks per game as well as led his conference in dunk frequency.
He was described as athletic, aggressive, and hungry on the court as well as the field and showcased his natural athleticism. There have been many multi-sport athletes that had success in the NFL, especially basketball, like Young.
He can jump out of the gym and play fearlessly. He considered playing college basketball, but decided that football was his calling and moved forward with the recruiting process. His senior year was one with ups and downs as his number two receiver was switched to quarterback and he battled injuries throughout the season. Despite that, Young racked up 14 touchdowns in eight games and was awarded First Team All-State after being on the Fifth Team All-State his junior year.
Young kept working and studied the game of other big body receivers like Julio Jones and Tee Higgins. Young also studied in the classroom and maintained a GPA strong enough to qualify for Power 5 football, but his journey began at the junior college level at Lackawanna College back in Scranton.
This occurred because he felt uncertain about his COVID waiver being accepted by Power 5 schools as he graduated in 2020 and then took a gap year to buy more time in his recruitment process before transferring to a Power 5 school.
During his first year at Lackawanna College, Young racked up 24 catches for 472 yards and 9 touchdowns, meaning the sure handed, red zone threat was able to stretch the field sustaining a whopping 19.7 yards per catch.
After this season his recruitment process sped up. He drew great interest from multiple Power 5 programs like Miami, Florida State, Pitt, Tennessee and an HBCU in Jackson State where his close friend and Lackawanna teammate De’Jahn “Nugget” Warren had played cornerback under Deion Sanders.
However, Cristobal sold Young on The U as he felt he was pursued early and heavily by the Canes and felt the team had a need at receiver, so he could make an early impact. He then transferred to Coral Gables with three years of eligibility and made an impact last year.
I want to thank Lackawanna college for giving me an opportunity to better my life and football career, I will be continuing my football talents at the University of Miami! @LCFalconsFB @CanesFootball @coach_cristobal @Coach_Gattis #GoCanes 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/SUF0V8EJss
— Colbie Young (@ColbieYoung) June 20, 2022
Young recorded 5 touchdowns and built a rapport with Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke as the year progressed. Miami needed someone Van Dyke could trust across from Xavier Restrepo, and step in for him when he missed time last year.
The Canes had success in the past with wide receiver transfers such as current Minnesota Vikings KJ Osborn, who spent four years at Buffalo before moving on to Miami. Against Virginia Tech this year Young caught three of four contested targets and won Atlantic Coast Conference receiver of the week with 9 grabs for 110 and a touchdown.
Van Dyke described Young as a “quiet, hardworking” player who showed himself in practice and earned his trust. Heading into Young’s junior season he is poised for an increase in scope and production. If there’s a knock on Young, it would be his speed as he projects in the 4.6s, but his steady hands, route running, and made 50/50 balls seem to be more like 80/20 in Young’s favor.
The NFL has always been filled with JUCO players with similar stories including superstars from Roger Staubach and Warren Moon to Aaaron Rodgers and Tyreek Hill.
Do not be surprised if Young’s 2023 season help put the U back on the map. He was Miami’s best big-play wide receiver threat last season to begin with, and now he has a year under his belt to feel more comfortable with Power 5 football. Additionally, with his overall skill set, Young could also be a player that ends up being taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Overall, Young has proven to be a great story and one that Miami football fans should applaud.
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