Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 AUGUST 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER Lufkin (Texas) High class of 2024 running back Kedren Young committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fresh off his summer official visit. He had been a Notre Dame target since picking up an offer from position coach Deland McCullough at the end of Janu- ary. The staff recruited him hard, and the talented playmaker was finally able to meet all of them in person for his offi- cial visit the weekend of June 2-4. Young announced his decision to commit on Twitter the day after returning home. "It's not even just about the name; the community and people are great," Young told Blue & Gold Illustrated about picking Notre Dame. "I felt comfortable there. This program — everyone knows about Notre Dame — but being around the peo- ple and staff, it really changed me. "They care about each other, and that's what I want to be around." The four-star prospect informed the coaching staff of his decision to commit while on campus. "It was exciting, man," he said of tell- ing Notre Dame about his commitment. The Irish coaching staff rolled out the red carpet for him during his official visit and made him feel at home. "It was great," Young said. "I got to meet all of the staff, and my family had a great time. We went out to eat, and I got to hang out with some of the players." Young was one of six official visi- tors for the Irish that weekend, which included four offensive linemen, three of whom are now committed to Notre Dame. Young got an up-close look at some of the guys who could be blocking for him at the next level, as well as the player who will be handing the ball off to him in South Bend. "There were a lot of offensive linemen on their official visits," Young noted. "I hung out with those guys a lot, and they were cool. I met [quarterback commit] CJ Carr, too. He was a cool guy." The coaches made a major impact on the success of Young's visit. "They really care about me and my family," he said. "They keep it real with me. They care about the academic part. Football is very important to them, but they'll also talk about how I can be great in the future. "We've built a great relationship," Young said of McCullough. "He cares about his players; he definitely does. He was also very detailed with what he was talking about, whether it was football, playbook, academics or NIL. He cares and takes his job seriously. He loves his job." Notre Dame's involvement with NIL is always a major topic when it comes to Fighting Irish fan discussion. The staff uses it as a recruiting pitch; what did they tell Young regarding it? "They describe the kind of things you can do to make money, whether it's community service or even act- ing," Young explained. "I could even be acting while I'm there, which is what I want to do after football. They have a lot of opportunities for NIL and how you can market your brand." Young is impressed by Notre Dame as a whole. "The campus is amazing," he added. "The architecture is amazing. Touch- down Jesus is awesome. It's crazy." According to On3's rankings, Young is No. 20 prospect in Texas, and the No. 6 running back and No. 92 overall player in the country. The 5-11, 225-pounder is Notre Dame's second running back pledge in the 2024 class, joining Hannibal (Mo.) High's An- eyas Williams. Young also held scholar- ship offers from Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Michigan, Miami, Nebraska and others. During his junior season, he rushed for 1,751 yards and 19 touchdowns. "You're going to get a hard worker and someone who doesn't take a day off," he said. "I give it my all every practice and every game. I'm a gritty worker. I'm excited." ✦ Elite Running Back Picks Notre Dame Over Texas Powers FILM ANALYSIS "From a skill perspective, Kedren Young checks a lot of boxes that we look for at run- ning back. He has very good size; he's around 5-11 and 225 pounds. He has college size al- ready. He runs well at that size; Young ran an 11.18 in the 100 meters as a sophomore. When you turn on the film, he plays that fast as well. We really like his burst, and he's very good between the tackles. "Young drags defenders, bounces off tackle attempts and is physical on contact. He has very good contact balance and the agility of a smaller player. When you watch him run and see the different skills he has, you see how well rounded he is at that size. It equates to a translatable skill set when you're projecting to the next level at the position. He's shown flashes in pass protection and plays against pretty good competition." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power COMMITMENT PROFILE KEDREN YOUNG "I felt comfortable there. This program — everyone knows about Notre Dame — but being around the people and staff, it really changed me. They care about each other, and that's what I want to be around." YOUNG Young, On3's No. 6 running back and No. 92 overall player nationally, rushed for 1,751 yards and 19 touchdowns during his junior campaign at Lufkin (Texas) High. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY