July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 19 WR Colbie Young

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster, and today we’re at No. 19, WR Colbie Young.

THE BIG PICTURE

Young had a couple of “aha” games last season after arriving from Lackawanna (Pa.) Junior College – in back-to-back matchups against Virginia Tech and Duke he had nine receptions for 101 yards and a TD, and followed that up with six receptions for 127 yards and two scores. After that? He never surpassed 46 receiving yards in any other game. So was that more on Tyler Van Dyke being injured vs. Duke and never really returning to health? Or was it more on Young, who didn’t have a firm grasp of the playbook and was given a limited number of routes he’d run? This spring we saw Young alongside slot Xavier Restrepo and fellow outside threat Jacolby George as the first-teamers in Shannon Dawson’s new offense. Young didn’t really wow this spring, but at 6-5 and 215 pounds he has the size to go up over cornerbacks and the speed to run by guys. There are no guarantees he’ll start this year, though, as after the spring Miami brought in a couple of late transfers – speedster Tyler Harrell from Alabama and JUCO WR Shemar Kirk. So the pressure is on this fall for Young to show he should again be with the first team after not doing much last year outside of two standout games.

THE ANALYSIS

Young led Miami’s wide receivers last year in yards, but that’s not saying much considering he had all of 367 yards. Young actually began last season on the bench before earning the starting role in Game 6 and never relinquishing it. He ended with 32 catches and the aforementioned 367 yards along with five TDs. But the majority of his damage was done in those two aforementioned games vs. the Hokies and Blue Devils. Consistency and understanding of the offense stood in his way. Will this year be different in a new offensive system? Perhaps. Certainly he’s shown that he can be a dominant guy at times. As for his Pro Football Focus grades: 63.0 percent overall (70 is considered a good grade) in 395 reps with a 67.8 receiving grade and 32.1 run blocking grade. So in fall camp Young has to show progress … and that he’s better than the transfer duo along with others that hope to earn reps like George, Isaiah Horton, Frank Ladson, freshman Robby Washington and Mike Redding (Ray Ray Joseph, Brashard Smith and Restrepo are slot guys).

THE PROJECTION

There are still some questions about Young’s consistency, since really he only flashed bigtime in two full Miami games last season (in the final four games of the season he compiled just 50 receiving yards, an average of 12.5 yards per game over those final four game). And Young also struggled with his overall understanding of the offense. Given that we would not be shocked if Young passes the 800-yard mark if he is a full-time starter in a pass-happy hybrid Air Raid attack. But he’ll have to earn that job this fall.

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

Young needs to channel the dominance he showed in the games against Virginia Tech and Duke. He has the physicality to outmuscle smaller corners and make catches over them, and he also has nice downfield speed. But the consistency issue is a big one, and with 10 other receivers on this roster fighting for reps Young can’t afford to rest on his laurels in fall camp.

THE QUOTE

“As a unit we’re just so dominant, this receiver room should be very special. We’re all going to go out and make plays.” -WR Colbie Young, this spring

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