Florida Gators 'Never Got Out' of 2021 CB Jordan Young's Ear
Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) Cowboys cornerback and Florida Gators commit Jordan Young didn't have to do too much against the threatening Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) Hawks on Friday night.
A game littered with talent, including two Florida commits on the visiting side as well in Armwood's Desmond Watson and Charles Montgomery, Gaither's defensive line controlled what ended in a 17-10 victory for the Cowboys. Gaither recorded a total of seven sacks, with defensive tackle Tawfig Thomas intercepting two passes off of Armwood quarterback Cam'Ron Ransom, including one to seal the victory on Armwood's final drive.
"We fought. I gotta give it to my D-line, they bring the pressure every week," Young told Sports Illustrated-AllGators after the win. "[The quarterback] has to make a panicked decision. Like even that last play, the ball was going to the guy I was on, but they don't have time to throw the ball and the D-linemen can make plays."
Young is one of five defensive backs - six if you include Kamar Wilcoxson, who reclassified and enrolled in August - in Florida's 2021 recruiting haul.
A bit of an underrated prospect out of the Tampa area, Young, 6-foot-1, 185-pounds, committed to Florida this past summer and has kept all things quiet on the recruiting front since.
"The coaches, they've been talking to me since I started getting recruited by them," Young said of Florida's staff. "They never got out of my ear. They talked to my parents constantly, me constantly. I went up there, I loved it, I grew up a Gator, so I mean, everything about it just felt like home.
"I talk to [cornerbacks] coach [Torrian] Gray all the time. Coach Gray's my boy, constantly talk to him. Constantly in my ear, going over different things, he check out my film and tell me what I need to do better, and what I'm doing good. So I mean, it's great."
Photo credit: Zach Goodall, Sports Illustrated Media
While Palmetto (Miami, Fla.) cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. may headline Florida's 2021 recruiting class as a whole, much less his position, Young isn't a name that should get lost in the shuffle.
Florida has been a fan of his talent for some time as he was a school camp standout, and his strength in press coverage matches what Gray looks for in his recruits. Young credited the Gators' defensive scheme as part of the reason he ended up committing to Florida.
"They are really good at press coverage," said Young. "I'm aggressive, man. I feel like, if I beat you up at the line, you can't do anything else. I mean, I can run with you, I got the speed to do it, but it's just something about that line, I just got that dog in me. I love it."
Young shared that he's looked up to former Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being a first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, since he began his playing career at UF. Young watches Henderson and New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore's tape in order to improve his game.
"I've come up to a game and seen [Henderson] warmup," Young recalled. "And, just like, his whole gameday vibe, he's locked in. Even in walk-through with his team, it's like he in the real game. Something I've got to implement in my game."
Henderson began his career at Florida by emerging as a starter during his freshman season. It's yet to be seen if Young is similarly capable, but if he is, it will be because he's earned that role over several other prospects.
"All I want to do is compete," said Young. "I've been a competitor since I was born, I love to compete. So I mean, I'm just going to go in there and ball, and nothing is going to be handed to me. I'm going to go in there and earn it."