Five-star RB Richard Young down to seven schools
One of the Buckeyes’ top 2023 targets is running back Richard Young from Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh. Young, who has an offer list of over 30, dropped his Top 10 in August which was made up of Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC and Oregon.
Young visited Ohio State multiple times in the summer and was back in Columbus the weekend of Oct. 30 and watched the Buckeyes defeat Penn State 33-24.
“It went real, real good,” Young’s uncle Tim Grubbs who went on the visit with him said. “He loved the atmosphere. He loved the scarlet-out and the uniforms. It was pretty amazing.”
With all that in mind in mind it is no surprise the Buckeyes are in Young’s final seven schools. Young posted his final seven of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas A&M on his Twitter account this afternoon.
Young is being recruited by Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford.
“He spent a lot of time with coach Alford and he had a couple meetings with coach (Ryan) Day,” Grubbs said after the Penn State game visit. “It was a good time – we had a great time.”
Last summer Young visited Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, Clemson and Alabama and worked out at Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama.
The 6-foot-0 and 190-pound Young is a 5-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings. He is the country’s No. 19 overall prospect, the No. 2 running back and the No. 6 prospect in Florida.
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247Sports Florida and Southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins has this evaluation of Young:
One of the most coveted prospects to come out of Southwest Florida in recent memory. A one-cut-and-go type of running back that’s powerful enough to get it done in-between the tackles. Excellent vision and overall feel for the position allows him to get up field in a hurry and attack holes. Outstanding contact balance combined with an effective stiff arm makes it extremely difficult for high school defenders to bring him to the ground. Has experience working out of single back, shotgun and pistol formations. Limited context when it comes to pass blocking, but should be able to chip away at college-sized defensive linemen given his size and physical nature. Track background shows up on Friday nights as he’s consistently pulling away from defenses. Catches the ball well and should be able to move the chains via the screen game, if those type of plays are on the call sheet. Wear and tear not much of a concern at this stage in his development as he’s averaged only 12 carries a game his first two years of high school. Likely to emerge as an impact player for a Top 25 program given foot speed and ability to shed would-be tacklers. Will be on the radar of NFL scouts one day if everything comes together.