Craig Young focused on winning, lays claim to fastest player on team

Senior linebacker Craig Young is ready for one year with college football as the 2023 season approaches. The former Ohio State Buckeye made 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year for the Jayhawks while forcing a fumble and grabbing an interception as well.

His hope for this year is to live in the moments that are being presented to him.

“Really I’m just living it day-by-day,” Young said. “I’m not looking too far into the future. I’m just focused on what I can do today and what can make me better.”

Young has always stood out on the football field, he was a track star in Indiana as well. As a junior at Wayne High School, Young won the sectional 100-meter and 200-meter sprints during his junior year. His personal best times for each event were 10.58 and 22.06 respectively. He claims that his track speed has helped him a lot on the gridiron.

“It translates, really well,” Young said. “I got competition here like Jason Bean. I’m always talking about my track background to the guys. I advise every high school football player to run track.”

While quarterback Bean is widely regarded as one of the faster players on the Kansas roster, Young claims that on a track it would be an interesting race between the two.

“I feel like if we get some track shoes on and we lace ‘em up on the track I could stay with him in the 100 and 200,” Young said.

Young excelled on the Indiana high school basketball scene as well, including a sophomore season in which he averaged 18 points and nine rebounds a game. Schools from all around Big 10 offered the well-rounded prospect. He ultimately landed at Ohio State.

Young, having played at one of the premier college football programs in the country, has experienced playing at a school and community that brings a lot of engagement toward the team. When the Jayhawks started to have success last season, Young started to see some similarities between Lawrence and Columbus in that regard.

"It’s definitely coming along here,” Young said. “The community has been a big part of our program coming up. We’re happy about the community coming along with us. With that being said, guys are working hard and the community is seeing it and they’re buying into it.

As Young sees the Kansas community develop a better football culture, he’s become more refined as a leader since transferring. At Ohio State, he started just one game. While he managed to find the field plenty, he’s never been in a position to lead like he has this year.

With Rich Miller and Taiwan Berryhill and himself all returning to the linebacker room, they’ve taken it upon themselves to lead the newcomers and younger players.

Young was extremely complimentary of what two of the biggest stock risers of fall camp, Cornell Wheeler and JB Brown have done.

“They fit well in our group,” Young said. “Those guys are going to have an impact on our defense this year. I feel like our position group… I don’t really call them twos, I call them 1A and 1B. I feel like those guys can step in and play a Big 12 game tomorrow.”

There are a lot of factors going into a player's final year of their career, but winning is at the front of Young’s mind.

“Right now, I’m just focused on the team,” Young said. "Just trying to keep them in tune. I’ve got big expectations for us.”

Those expectations come off of a year that is going to be remembered by lots around Lawrence. While he still chases individual successes and goals, Young’s hopes lie in creating something that can be the building blocks of something bigger within the program.

“What can I leave behind?” Young said. “I can leave behind to these young guys and how can this program continue to keep building once I leave here."

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