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As Taylor Young prepares to play in his final home game as a Baylor Bear, Baylor fans owe the senior linebacker a colossal “thank you”.
Sometimes impact can’t be measured with career statistics, 40 times, or wins. Coaches, scouts, and fans often speak of immeasurable, non-statistical factors when recalling their favorite players.
Peyton Manning is a film junky. Tom Brady has an impeccable ability to stay calm under fire. JJ Watt is a leader. Odell Beckham Jr. has swag. Larry Fitzgerald is selfless. Tim Tebow found ways to win.
It’s oftentimes the intangibles that make great football players memorable.
When speaking strictly in terms of statistics, Taylor Young is one of Baylor’s best all-time. As the 2017 season is winding down to a close, Young currently has 324 total career tackles, 38.5 for loss and 14.5 for a sack. Those numbers are enough for the 5’9 wrecking ball to be considered one of Baylor’s all-time greats. He’ll finish top-10 in school history in tackles, and could be Baylor’s all-time sacks leader with three more sacks. He’s earned his place in school history next to the likes of Mike Singletary, James Francis, Joe Pawelek, and Bryce Hager.
Only a 2-star recruit coming out of DeSoto High School, Young burst onto the scene with unrelenting force as a redshirt freshman in 2014, earning Freshman All-American and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors as he began to make his name as a playmaker. Despite being plagued by minor injuries the following two seasons, he earned an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in 2015 and a spot on Athlon’s 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2016.
But the stats and individual success aren’t why Taylor Young is an all-time Baylor Bear. When it comes to Young, it’s about so much more.
On May 26, 2016, Baylor head football coach Art Briles was fired amidst the university’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations, many involving members of the football program. Players and fans alike were shocked, and Taylor Young was ready to walk out.
As the news came out over the course of the day, Young sent out a series of Tweets (documented here by SportsDay) claiming he wouldn’t play without his head coach. One particular Tweet that tugs at the heart strings says, “He fought for me…Why not fight for him?”
After all, Briles was known as a guy who could take underrated, overlooked talent and blow it up into something special. For example, look at two of Baylor’s most successful WRs. Terrance Williams was a 2 or 3-star WR, depending on the site, and wasn’t nationally ranked. Some saw him as a better basketball prospect than football prospect. Now a stalwart Dallas Cowboys, Briles turned Williams into a runner-up for the Biletnikoff award. In perhaps an even more dramatic example, Tevin Reese was a 5’9, 160 lb TE in a run-first high school offense, only catching 31 passes for 541 yards and 3 TDs as a senior. At Baylor he was transformed into the Big 12’s premier deep threat, averaging over 22 YPC his senior season, earning All-Big 12 honors and an NFL draft selection.
Like Young, Bryce Hager, a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams and an All-Big 12 playmaker for Baylor, also came in as an underrated 2-star recruit, being snubbed by his dream school Texas even though he played in their backyard. He left Baylor as a three-time All-Big 12 performer, earning a draft selection.
So one can understand why Young was so devastated by Briles’ nasty departure. The man had believed in him. Briles had committed to starting Young when he was only a freshman, an unknown, and unproven. Young had seen the success Briles had in turning overlooked players into NFL prospects, and from what I can tell, Young and Briles had a special relationship.
Another player who had a special relationship with Briles, highly-touted quarterback Jarrett Stidham, immediately left the program and transferred. He’s now starting for the Auburn, generating buzz around his own NFL prospects as he’s led the Tigers into contending for an SEC championship and a playoff spot. Personally, I’m happy for Stidham; after what happened at Baylor, I don’t blame him an ounce for transferring and seeking (and finding!) success elsewhere.
Baylor fans, do you realize that Taylor Young could have done the exact same thing?
After the string of Tweets emphasizing his loyalty to Briles, Young stuck around to play under Jim Grobe and the remainder of the Briles staff, including son Kendall and longtime defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. As far as Matt Rhule knows, that was going to be Young’s final season in a Baylor uniform.
“He was gone,” Rhule said in Tuesday’s press conference, “He wouldn’t even come over and talk to us.”
But Rhule persisted in his attempt to keep Young at Baylor, promising to make him better and give him a shot to make the NFL.
“I promised him, if you play for Coach Snow and Coach Siravo, when you watch the tape at the end of the year you’ll be one of the best linebackers in the Big 12,” Rhule said.
At some point, a light came on for Young. He realized this team, and even the university family at large, needed leaders to step up in a time of adversity. He saw that he had an opportunity to begin a program turnaround, establish an identity, and maybe become an even more polished, skilled linebacker. So he did what many young men of his talents wouldn’t do: he gave Coach Rhule and his staff a chance, and he chose to stand by Baylor University.
The result?
“He is one of the best defensive players in the Big 12,” Rhule said, “You put the tape on, and there’s no doubt. That’s a credit to him and the fact that he’s just been tireless and selfless throughout this whole process.”
Selfless is the word that jumps out at me. Taylor Young, as great as he is on the football field, has also proven himself as a leader, and as a man.
I can’t blame Jarrett Stidham for doing what he felt was best for him. But I can praise Taylor Young for making the difficult decision to do something selfless.
Young is the undisputed heart and soul of this Baylor football team. He has led this team well, he has inspired the next generation of Baylor football players, and he has set a precedent that shows that this coaching staff and “process” can be trusted. There’s no doubt in my mind that Young could have started at linebacker for a plethora of good football schools, some which are contending for playoff position as I write. But he chose us. He chose the green and gold.
On Saturday, Baylor football will honor its seniors before the final home tilt versus Iowa State. Baylor fans… we ALL owe Taylor Young a COLOSSAL “thank you.” Of the many honorable young men who’ve represented Baylor well over the years, Young stands apart. He isn’t just one of Baylor’s best linebackers ever, or one of the leftovers from a Big 12 championship squad. He’s the standard. He’s what it means to be a Baylor Bear.
Heart. Toughness. Leadership. Selflessness.
Thank you, #1.
