Tag: FiveStar

In reality, there’s a good chance Smart previously watched Bryce Young’s film.

Bryce Young played two seasons of varsity football at Charlotte Christian with current Georgia sophomore defensive back Kyron Jones.

So, it’s possible the Georgia head coach simply failed to notice him as a sophomore and junior because he was still a bit of a klutz.

Growing up, Bryce Young played flag football, basketball, soccer and various other youth sports, delaying tackle football until his freshman year.

“He wanted (me) to wait until I was in high school because he didn’t start playing until he was in high school, either,” Bryce Young said.

At 6-foot-2 and skinny, he spent his first year or so of football searching for a position that suited his skill set. 

His first experiment failed.

“Going into sophomore year, me and Bryce were probably the same size and Bryce was playing receiver at the time,” said Fighting Irish freshman wideout Micah Gilbert, who was also Bryce Young’s classmate at Charlotte Christian. “So, he was still growing into himself, all clumsy, just bumping into stuff everywhere he goes, and he’s playing receiver. 

“He can’t catch at all. Can’t catch for nothing.”

Shortly thereafter, Bryce Young switched to inside linebacker but, according to his Max Preps profile, only recorded two tackles on varsity during his sophomore campaign.

Then, he hit another growth spurt, shooting a couple of inches past his father’s 6-foot-3 stature. Over the summer, he attended Notre Dame’s Sunday Night Lights camp and worked out with defensive line coach Al Washington.

After the camp, Freeman offered him a scholarship.

After a great camp and conversation with @Marcus_Freeman1, I am extremely grateful to receive my first offer from the University of Notre Dame #AGTG #GoIrish @CoachWash56 @CoachAlGolden @CoachJasonEstep @CharChristAD @LemmingReport @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/PQuQFE9lIF

— Bryce Young (@BryceYoung_22) June 13, 2022

By his junior season, Bryce Young had found his position on the gridiron but was still adapting to his accelerated development period.

“He hit 6-5, and we’re like, ‘Yo, what’s going on?’ And then he started playing D-end, and we’re like, ‘Okay, he’s still moving a little weird,’” Gilbert said. “(He) still looked like he was growing into his body.”

That fall, he recorded 92 tackles (6.0 for a loss), 3.0 sacks and 11 hurries in 11 games, a quality season but not the type of numbers to raise his national profile. At season’s end, he remained a three-star recruit by 247Sports.

The following April, he committed to Notre Dame over offers from Penn State, USC, Miami (Fla.) and Stanford. The only SEC offer recorded on his 247Sports recruiting profile came from Tennessee.

Bryce Young stood at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds for his senior season, where he registered 97 tackles (18.0 for a loss), 14.0 sacks and 12 hurries. 

Those numbers got him noticed. He was invited to the All-American Bowl and catapulted up the recruiting rankings throughout the fall, finishing the cycle as 247Sports No. 24 overall player and a five-star prospect.

He had finally adjusted to his immense frame and stature.

“When kids are growing, and their muscular control is not catching up with their body when it’s growing at a rapid pace, there’s a little awkwardness at times,” Bryant Young said. “As Bryce got really familiar with his body when he could do physically, getting stronger and, with his frame, being able to control his movement, that’s when you see him really taken off.”

Of course, it was more than that. Bryce Young’s effort was also paying off.

“He worked with his dad a lot,” Gilbert said. “So, the work he put in is what the outcome came of it. Bryce is gonna be the real deal.”

*For more on how Bryant Young trained Bryce Young on the field and in the film room, check out John Brice’s feature on Irish Illustrated:

Bryce Young: A Refined Tornado