CaneSport’s Inside The Lines: Up close with Miami Hurricanes WR Colbie Young
The good news for Miami Hurricanes WR Colbie Young? He was the leading wide receiver last season on the team. The bad news: That entailed just 367 total yards, and included a pair of back-to-back 100-yard performances. The consistency wasn’t there in an offense that bogged down under Josh Gattis and with starting QB Tyler Van Dyke essentially out the last half of the year.
Now it’s a new season, of course.
Van Dyke is healthy.
And there’s a new coordinator, Shannon Dawson, who wants to attack defenses down the field through the air in a hybrid Air-Raid approach.
Young should play a big part in that, and says he’s cut his weight down to get a bit quicker.
“I’m feeling more loose, leaner, have more energy,” Young said. “I’m more confident. I got used to the game, now how our quarterback is thinking, I can read coverages a little bit better.”
Young arrived at Miami for Summer B out of junior college last year and was banged up in fall camp, in part a reason he was a bit slow to pick up the playbook. So Young began last season on the bench, but as he got opportunities he made the most of them with those aforementioned back-to-back 100-yard games vs. Virginia Tech and Duke. But then faded into the background a bit as Miami’s passing game faltered. He never surpassed 46 receiving yards in any other game on the season. Pro Football Focus graded him out at 63.0 percent overall (70 is considered a good grade). He played 395 reps and had a 67.8 receiving grade and 32.1 run blocking grade.
“I feel like we’re more ready for it (this year), want people to game plan for me because that opens up opportunities (for other WRs),” Young said. “We are prepared, saw what it was like last year and are just ready to dominate this year.”
The Miami receiver room has added some talent from last season, with the main contributors back and joined by Alabama transfer Tyler Harrell, JUCO signee Shemar Kirk and speedy freshmen Ray Ray Joseph and Robby Washington.
Competition to start is intense and will be ongoing in fall camp in what promises to be an explosive offense.
“I love the new offense,” Young said. “We’re taking shots down the field, moving fast, slowing it down. It’s in the players’ hands, you know?”
The excitement is there with fall camp ongoing and the season around the corner.
“All through workouts everybody is really excited to play football this year,” Young said. “Everyone seems like they’re having more fun. At the end of the day this is a game of love. Everybody is buying in, we’re all buying into the culture, are ready to work.
“We’re looking forward to dominating this season.”
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