D.J. Young Followed His Dream to MSU and Now has a Shot To Be An Impact Offensive Lineman

DJ Young has made one rare move already. It isn’t often you see a player leaving a MAC school for the Big Ten, unless he has been an exceptional player at

DJ Young has made one rare move already. It isn’t often you see a player leaving a MAC school for the Big Ten, unless he has been an exceptional player at that level. However, after coming to Bowling Green as a defensive tackle and subsequently being moved to offensive tackle, he decided he had enough and moved on to MSU without being promised much except for an opportunity from the Spartans.

 

Young, son of former Spartan great Duane Young, originally chose to head to Bowling Green to start his own legacy, and Falcon coach Greg Brandon at the time called him one of the top three recruits in his 2006 recruiting class. “We don’t have anybody on the team like DJ Young,” said Brandon. “He’s the kind of big-bodied individual we are missing around here,” he told The Sports Xchange.  In fact Coach Brandon was counting on the massive Young, at 6’5” and 278 pounds and still growing, to be the running stopper in the middle of the Falcon defensive line.  Added Brandon, “I really liked him because he could run and he was heavily recruited.”

 

Young was considered one the top defenders in the state of Michigan at Lansing Sexton after transferring in from Kalamazoo Central, with top end speed of 4.9. Yet, Bowling Green won out and they did a good job recruiting him since he had bigger offers, including those from North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, CMU, and even Cincinnati and Coach Dantonio came calling and offered Young as an offensive linemen. Plus, he had those great bloodlines of his father, who not only was a key contributor for MSU, but later for the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills of the NFL. So DJ Young had promise and potential written all over him.

 

In fact, how could he fail, everyone who saw him play use adjectives like “standout, “super talented”, and “dominant” to describe his play. Plus, he was named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Teamin 2005 after recording 53 tackles and seven sacks, not bad for a large, immovable run-stopper who still had enough athleticism to play basketball and run track.

 

Then sometimes, reality hits you in the face, as he found out as a true freshmen for Bowling Green, in a year in which he made three starts, while at the same time finding success on the field coming slow, with two tackles against Kent State in his first start, two tackles against FIU, and three tackles against Ohio University being his best contributions for the year. Still he was “young”, literally and figuratively, and there was much hope for the following year.

 

The next year, he did play in eleven games, but started just one and tallied 23 tackles, with 2.5 of those coming for a loss. At some point, the brass at Bowling Green decided he could help them more on the offensive line. Then, for a variety of reasons, Young decided it was time to move on, and not simply because of a position change, (since he would likely play on the offensive line at MSU), but a chance to go home among other reasons. If you are going to play on the offensive line, why not go home and try to play on the big stage?

  

So he came to MSU searching for an opportunity, and it was made known to him that he had to earn his way as a walk-on, that he wouldn’t be handed anything, and that he had to show the staff what he was all about. He was then penciled in at left tackle for the White team for the spring game, and was waiting for the opportunity to show what he could do, and show them he did. In fact, after one spring practice Coach Mark Dantonio took the time to single out and praise the impressive play of Young, along with walk-on receiver Milton Colbert and TE transfer Brian Linthicum. When a “unit first” coach like Dantonio singles you out and takes notice, you must be doing something right.

 

Young, now up to 305-pounds, is hoping to create his own legacy like his father did as a bruising tight end who would knock you on your backside for the fun of it, and he will get every opportunity to do so. The elder Young had just 38-receptions in 73-games in the NFL, but anyone who saw this bruising tight end block realized how he made his money, and that was by moving people out of the way. So if his son inquired any of those special genetics’ as well, the tackle position could be solidified in the near future, and he is capable of playing either tackle position.

 

Where will he play? On one hand he has the good athleticism to protect the quarterbacks blindside at left tackle, and yet can be a capable run blocker on the right side where MSU graduated Jesse Miller. There is plenty of competition on hand but Young should push anyone ahead of him for playing time. Currently Young is battling Brendon Moss at right tackle, but coach Roushar has done some experimenting this fall, putting Rocco Cironi at right tackle and letting Young, an outstanding pass blocker, play at left tackle, and Young is thankful for every opportunity he gets to crack the starting line up.

Young told Spartan Nation, “Coming from a little ‘ole MAC School and competing for a starting job is unbelievable.” He also gave credit to Coach Roushar for his progress. “Coach Roushar is teaching me the in’s and out’s of being a good offensive lineman.” Young knows his strengths as well. In the same interview he added, “My run blocking can get better, but I love to pass block.” To me that sounds like a natural left tackle, but only time will tell.  If Young plays up to his potential, he can play with anyone and he will be given every opportunity to succeed and get many snaps even if he doesn’t start.

 

It brings me to this, sometimes you have to follow your dream, and Young originally did that in trying to play on the defensive side of the ball, and that in the end helps MSU here. If he had followed his dad’s path and bulldozed defenders on offense (albeit from different positions) from the beginning and perhaps signed with Cincinnati and Coach Dantonio or someone else, then it would have been to the Spartans detriment. So perhaps then in that regard, sometimes following the dream does pay off, at least in that sense it has for the Spartans, who are very happy to have the big guy in green and white.