The high school years are never easy. Being an athlete in high school might ease some of the awkwardness that comes with transitioning from childhood to adolescence, but it can also make those changes—especially the more significant ones—visible to all. Take current Notre Dame freshman Bryce Young, for example. The current Irish defensive end and fellow early enrollee wide receiver Micah Gilbert were teammates at Charlotte (N.C.) Christian High School. Gilbert witnessed personally the growth spurt that his friend experienced in both high school and college. “Bryce was a receiver at the time, and I think our sizes were about the same going into our sophomore year,” Gilbert said. He was still developing as a person; he was awkward and kept running into objects, then he started playing receiver. He has no ability to catch. You can’t win without trying.
However, as the year goes on, he just keeps getting better. About his growth spurt, Young jokingly said, “It was a bad phase.” By the end of his junior year, he had improved from a 6-2 record as a freshman in high school to a 6-6 record. Young didn’t even begin playing organized tackle football until high school, on top of the spurt. Young said, “My first year playing was my freshman year.” “Therefore, I continued to search for my place on the pitch. I did it for a year, so, all right, receiver. I started playing on the ball linebacker because I played a little linebacker, and by my sophomore or junior year, I had developed into a D-end. “(He still looked like he’s growing into his body, but it just became an explosion once he got to that junior or senior year,” Gilbert said, observing both the awkward phase and Young’s efforts to develop as a player. “However, his hard work to get there was evident on the field. I saw all that was there. I would watch him exert himself greatly on the field. He must have worked closely with his father. Bryce will be the real deal because of the work he put in and the results that followed. Young was unaffected by his odd growth spurt or his football career’s late start. It could be beneficial to have a father such as Bryant Young, the 1993 All-American at Notre Dame, the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl champion, and the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. Working his way up the ranks in the coaching ranks, the older Young began his career in 2009 as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame. He served as defensive line coach with Will Muschamp’s Florida staff in 2011 and 2012. He then assumed the same role with the Atlanta Falcons, starting with their Super Bowl squad in 2017. He went out of the professional ranks to serve alongside Bryce on the Charlotte Christian staff. “I had to learn to trust him more because he’s my dad,” Young said. “He doesn’t necessarily know more about subjects outside of football just because he’s a dad. I really got close to him during my sophomore year. “You have to break down film; you know this stuff,” I said to him. “We used to have a rule where football was on the field or anytime I asked,” Young continued. “We definitely went through a lot of film together, watching old tape, watching guys I like to watch in the NFL today, just learning keys, learning pre-snap and all that.” “Aside from that, he was just a dad. I can tell which was which since we clearly had clear limits between them. There was a narrow line between parent and coach, but there were definitely moments when we didn’t see eye to eye because of how hazy the line would get. I paid close attention when the coach was on. I was paying attention and soaking up all I could. Young moved to the defensive end and quickly became a star.
During his time at Notre Dame, he found renewed motivation from the criticism he received from defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive line coach Al Washington. Young said, “I was just doing what I do best out there, and they saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself yet.” “After they rejected my offer, I thought, ‘Dude, I need to have more faith in myself if they do.'” It became necessary to work hard in order to advance even farther. That, in my opinion, really helped; their recognition of a quality in me that I was unaware of undoubtedly ignited something. Young is a skilled competitor. In high school, he wrestled and competed on the track team. His innate competitive nature and his self-described “motor” have propelled him to this point by getting him through the uncomfortable stages of his development spurt. One of the most important things, Young said, “is that, especially on the D-line, being a D-end, I feel like my motor is going to carry me even when my technique lacks.” “The ability to put in a lot of effort and complete every drill is something I’m learning. That will also impart a great deal of knowledge to me. Before playing high school football, the defensive end had a childhood filled with flag football, basketball, and soccer games. Young’s weight as of right now is 241 pounds. He stated that following his first spring at Notre Dame, he wants to be closer to 255–260.
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