Notre Dame Running Back Kedron Young Takes Audric Estime Comparisons In Stride
Freshman running back Kedren Young has already heard the comparisons. Even before the 6-0, 217-pound early enrollee arrived on Notre Dame’s campus last month he was being compared to outgoing Irish standout runner Audric Estime.
"That’s what I get a lot,” Young said of the comparisons to Estime. "Everybody tells me that.”
Young doesn’t mind the comparisons to the now former Notre Dame running back who led the Irish with 1,341 yards and set a program record with 18 touchdown runs last season. But as much as he admires Estime’s game, Young sees differences between the two backs as well.
"I think Audric has his own game,” Young estimated. "Audric was playing at like 232, so he's a bigger guy, but he can still move. I like his game, I like to watch his highlights, too. I think we have our similarities, but we have a different game.
"Just the way he moves with his weight,” Young continued. "When somebody talks about the bigger back, they're like, ‘Well, we can't move.’ He had a lot of moves, and combining with his power you really just learn how he moves in the hole and his open speed. There’s a lot you can learn from an older back.”
Unlike the NFL-bound Estime, Young’s journey is just beginning, and he is still learning the ropes of life on a big-time college campus.
"Just learning a lot in getting better is my main thing,” Young explained. "Whether it's getting 1% better every day, whether I’m in class, I’m studying for an hour, and then the next week I study a little bit more, like an hour and five minutes. On the field, whether it's progressing my weight every week, or trying to learn my technique. So, just getting better every day.
"Just getting used to the routine and everything,” Young continued. "Whether it’s the weight room, whether it’s footwork, learning drills. Just trying to get better and learn everything and take it day by day. So, that's my main thing — take it day by day.”
The most important daily football routine Young has been adjusting to is hitting the weight room. It’s a different program than he had in high school. Young has already made early strides working with Notre Dame’s new Director of Football Performance, Loren Landow.
“Shoutout to Coach Landow,” Young proclaimed. “He’s great. The real deal. Today we were doing power cleans, and I wasn't getting my hips up high enough. So, I've been learning that. I've been trying to get better at that. Not just from Coach Landow, but also the staff, they're doing a good job with me, trying to get us better at technique. So shoutout to them too.”
Young has only been at Notre Dame for slightly less time than Landow, who took over the football performance program in December. Landow has tried to spend time with everyone on the team during the early days of the winter conditioning program, which began in mid-January.
"That just shows you he’s all about the team and his players and his staff,” Young said of Landow. "He’s always wanting us to get better every day, whether it's him showing self-love, whether that's him on your butt. He wants everybody to get better. So, that's the main thing, and I've been enjoying it. I've been enjoying the weight room and enjoying the work.”
Young isn’t looking to pack on much more weight before the start of the season. He says his goal is to be at around 220 pounds before the Irish open the 2024 season at Texas A&M on Aug. 31 back in his home state.
"Yeah, that's the dream,” Young said of playing close to home.
College Station is just over two hours southwest of Young’s hometown of Lufkin.
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