How Zion Young's Childhood Made Him One of Mizzou's Vocal Leaders

The second-year defensive end's personality and voice are deeply rooted in his upbringing.

Jul 17, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young talks to the media during the SEC Media Days at Omni Atlanta Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

After listening to Missouri defensive end Zion Young speak for a short period of time, you can pretty easily pinpoint that he'd be a good leader. According to both him and his teammates, that's exactly the case.

The roots of his extremely loud leadership voice and his ability to lead in general are rooted in his family and his upbringing. It starts with his mom and dad, who are two very different personalities.

"I come from a very vocal family. My dad is ex-military. My mom is more laid back. But that's my mom, I'm a momma's boy," Young said Thursday. at SEC Media Days. "I come from a very structured family. I've always been the youngest."

His voice is what makes him such a good leader. Even last season, when he wasn't a captain and was still finding his place in the locker room, it was clear this was going to be something that played to his advantage.

Now, Young has the chance to earn a captain role, which would give him the chance to express his true personality with his loud and powerful voice.

"I'm loud. I want to be heard," Young said. "And over time it just became me. That's me."

Coming from a family with two expressive parents and plenty of brothers and sisters, a situation where Young was the youngest of the bunch allowed him to learn from them, but also express himself.

"That's me a thousand percent," Young said. "I come from a big family. I've got 10 other siblings. Me being at the youngest, I've seen it before."

This is an observation that's been made by his teammates, specifically the two that accompanied him at SEC Media Days earlier in the week. According to Missouri's top leader on the offensive line, Young is a player that can energize everyone on the team, regardless of a player's position.

"Zion brings the juice for everybody. When we're at workouts, it's not just offense/defense, it's everybody. He's that guy. He brings it," Missouri center Connor Tollison said. "That's one thing you know with Zion, you're going to get it every day."

The other who accompanied Young and Tollison, an impactful defensive back for the Tigers, praised Young's ability to be loud and carry his voice. Based on what we know about his upbringing, these two things add up.

"Zion Young, he's a real vocal leader," Missouri safety Daylan Carnell. "He's probably the most vocal leader on the whole entire team, not just the defense."

It was clear since the moment Young stepped on Faurot Field that he had what it took to be a good leader. Entering his senior season for the Tigers, he's ready to be an excellent one.