Elijah Young News, Rumors, Updates - Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Limited impact in bowl loss Young compiled 11 carries for 37 yards and hauled in 4 of 6 targets for 21 yards during Wednesday's 27-17 loss versus James Madison.

Impact Young struggled to get things going on the ground and averaged less than 3.5 yards per carry while also notching his lowest rushing yardage since Week 12, when he recorded 10 carries for 24 yards in Week 12 against LA Tech. Young finished the season with career-best numbers, though. He had 201 carries for 883 yards and three touchdowns on the ground while also making 47 catches for 384 yards and two more scores. Touchdowns aside, he posted career-best numbers in carries, receptions and yards.

DECEMBER 27, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Tops 100 yards in loss Young compiled 19 rushes for 108 yards and reeled in all three targets for negative nine yards during Friday's 52-12 defeat versus Jacksonville State.

Impact Young hit the 100-yard mark for just the second time this season in the CUSA title game defeat at the hands of Jacksonville State. The Hilltoppers' top tailback will now need to finalize his plans for Western Kentucky's bowl game against James Madison on Dec. 18.

DECEMBER 11, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Carries the offense Young ran 19 times for 91 yards and caught seven passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against JSU on Saturday.

Impact Young was responsible for the only touchdown the Hilltoppers scored in a 19-17 win that got them into the conference title game. He now has over 1,000 total yards on the season, unheard of for a WKU back in recent memory.

DECEMBER 1, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Totals 86 yards Young ran nine times for 60 yards and caught three passes for 26 yards versus Liberty on Saturday.

Impact Young racked up yards when he touched the ball, and he's now rushed for over 600 yards and tallied 33 receptions. The only issue with Young is that he's totaled four touchdowns through 11 games.

NOVEMBER 23, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Finds end zone Young ran 10 times for 24 yards and touchdown and had four catches for 21 yards versus La Tech on Saturday.

Impact These aren't good numbers, but Young scored the only touchdown for the Hilltoppers and led the team in rushing. Western Kentucky really struggled offensively in this matchup, but Young did what he could. That includes hitting 30 receptions on the season.

NOVEMBER 17, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for 74 yards Young ran 16 times for 74 yards versus NMSU on Saturday.

Impact Young is a key piece of the WKU offense, but there is one concern here. Though he's rushed for 563 yards and added 247 yards through the air, he has only three touchdowns, and his only rushing scores came against Eastern Kentucky.

NOVEMBER 10, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for over 100 yards Young ran 15 times for 114 yards and had two catches for 20 yards against KSU on Wednesday.

Impact Western Kentucky's embrace of actually running the ball has been one of the bigger surprises this season, but it has been to Young's benefit. 100-yard games on the ground have been truly rare for the Hilltoppers. Of course, this team does still love to pass the ball, and to that end Young has 26 catches for 247 yards and a touchdown.

OCTOBER 31, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Best game of season Young ran 23 times for 97 yards and had three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown against Sam Houston on Wednesday, though he did lose a fumble.

Impact This is Young's first fumble, so it's not a big deal. If you aren't familiar with WKU's offense, the fact Young has such a large role at running back is unusual, and speaks to how much the staff likes him. He's part of the passing game regularly, as he has 24 catches for 227 yards through seven games.

OCTOBER 17, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for 60 yards Young ran 16 times for 60 yards Thursday against UTEP.

Impact Young has the largest role that a running back has had in the Hilltoppers offense in recent memory. That includes in the passing game. Though he only had one catch for eight yards against the Miners, he has 21 catches on the season. The one problem is he only has two touchdowns, and they both came against Eastern Kentucky.

OCTOBER 10, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rare workload for a WKU back Young ran 21 times for 85 yards and caught five passes for 22 yards against Boston College on Saturday.

Impact The Hilltoppers are not a team that gives 20 carries to running backs. This is truly rare, and also a real vote of confidence in Young. Also, Young has been part of the passing game, as he 20 catches through five outings.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Remains part of passing game Young ran nine times for 36 yards and had three catches for 32 yards against Toledo on Saturday.

Impact If you thought maybe WKU would actually turn to the running game with starting quarterback TJ Finley (leg) out, yeah, that didn't happen. Young was comfortably the most-used back, and all he got was nine carries. However, he does have 15 receptions through four games.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Big part of passing game Young ran 10 times for 27 yards Saturday against MTSU, but he did catch five passes for 64 yards.

Impact The WKU offense does not really run the ball much, but Young is the lead back. Don't expect much on the ground, though his 2.9 yards per carry is unusually low, but he's part of the passing game. Young has 12 catches for 104 yards through three contests.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for two TDs Young ran 13 times for 52 yards and two touchdowns against EKU. He also caught three passes for 24 yards.

Impact The WKU offense is built around the pass, so much so the fact Young ran for 474 yards and three touchdowns qualified as noteworthy. While he may not do a ton on the ground, he has seven catches through two games, which is intriguing.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rough day on the ground versus Bama Young ran the ball 10 times for 18 yards but had four catches for 16 yards against Alabama on Saturday.

Impact The Crimson Tide were setting the tone for their season against an overmatched WKU team. In a game where he and his teammates were shut out and held under 150 total yards offensively, there's not much positive to say. However, Young did have 247 yards and three touchdowns receiving last season, and seems to still be a part of the passing game.

AUGUST 31, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Productive in passing game Young totaled eight carries for 14 yards and gathered in 3 of 4 targets for 48 yards and one touchdown during Monday's 38-35 overtime win over Old Dominion.

Impact Young struggled to get going on the ground in the Famous Toastery Bowl, but hauled in three receptions for 48 yards and a score from quarterback Caden Veltkamp. The 5-foot-9 senior ended the season with 104 carries for 474 yards and three touchdowns, along with 20 receptions for 247 yards and three additional scores. Young will look to contribute in his second season with the program next year.

JANUARY 4, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for 55 yards Young ran 15 times for 55 yards and had one catch for 20 yards against Sam Houston on Saturday.

Impact The last few weeks Young has actually given the Hilltoppers a run game. Though he didn't do great in this matchup, if he is involved against FIU in WKU's season finale, that could pay off for him.

NOVEMBER 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Rushes for two touchdowns Young ran 12 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP on Saturday.

Impact This is odd. It's unusual for a WKU back to have 12 rushing attempts, much less run for over 100 yards. Young carried the Hilltoppers offense this week, which may get him more touches going forward, but one assumes this remains a pass-first offense that just needed to rely on the run this one time.

NOVEMBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Young runs for 139 yards, 2 TDs to help W. Kentucky beat UTEP 21-13

Elijah Young ran for 139 yards and two second-half touchdowns to help Western Kentucky beat UTEP 21-13

NOVEMBER 5, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Catches TD Young ran eight times for 61 yards and caught four passes for 58 yards and a score against Liberty on Tuesday.

Impact Young transferred in from Missouri, which was an interesting choice as WKU does not use its running backs much. Indeed, even with the SEC cache, Young has 47 catches for 187 yards this year. Also, he may have come up big through the air here, but he has 66 receiving yards total on the season.

OCTOBER 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Enters transfer portal Young entered the transfer portal Tuesday, 247Sports.com reports.

Impact Young rushed for 333 yards and one score across 20 appearances during three seasons with Missou. He also secured 19 of 21 targets for 103 yards and a score over the past two seasons.

JANUARY 3, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Out versus Florida Young (undisclosed) won't suit up for Saturday's contest against Florida, Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Impact Even though Young didn't receive a lot of touches during the 2021 season, he still made an impact by rushing for 162 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he's been affected by the injury bug this year which has slowly dwindled his numbers. Once healthy, expect him to make an impact as one of the Tigers' primary backs.

OCTOBER 6, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Out versus Georgia Young (undisclosed) is out for Saturday's game against Georgia, Kenny Van Doren of the Columbia Missourian reports.

Impact Young will miss consecutive games for an undisclosed reason. Expect Nathaniel Peat and Cody Schrader to receive most of the carries versus Georgia.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Won't play Saturday Young has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Auburn, ESPN100.5/105.1 KTGR reports.

Impact It's unclear what exactly will be holding Young out of action Saturday. The junior back hasn't had a consistent role early on, totaling just 13 carries for 52 yards through the first three games. Look for Nathaniel Peat & Cody Schrader to handle most of the work out of the backfield.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Player spotlight: Missouri's Elijah Young Player spotlight: Missouri running back Elijah Young

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • USATODAY.COM

Mizzou's Elijah Young, South-Doyle graduate, joins Barstool Sports as 'Barstool Athlete' Missouri running back Elijah Young announced his signing with Barstool Sports as a 'Barstool Athlete.' The 2020 South-Doyle grad was 5A Mr....

JULY 2, 2021 • KNOXNEWS.COM

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Young runs for 139 yards, 2 TDs to help W. Kentucky beat UTEP 21-13