Landon Young

Kentucky Football: Landon Young Impresses In Debut

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

There wasn’t much to be excited about during Kentucky football’s virtual no-show against the Florida Gators, but Landon Young’s debut was a silver lining.

The Kentucky football program doesn’t have many reasons for optimism entering Week 3. The Kentucky Wildcats have been outscored 79-7 over the past six quarters, which has many pondering just how realistic the bowl game aspirations really are.

If you’re searching for reasons to be optimistic, then the debut of offensive lineman Landon Young is a good place to start.

Rivals rated Young as a five-star recruit coming out of high school. He signed a letter of intent with the University of Kentucky back in 2013—three years before he graduated high school.

According to Jon Hale of The Courier-Journal, Young played well enough against Florida to earn the praise of offensive coordinator Eddie Gran.

“I thought for the big arena that he was in, he went in, he didn’t flinch,” Gran said. “I’m really going to be excited to see what he did and how he went out there and handled himself. For us, him getting in there you’ve got to say it’s a bonus because you’re getting somebody else ready at that position, which will be crucial for us at the end of the year.”

Young may have the highest ceiling of any player along the offensive line.

Young is a 6’7″ and 305-pound freshman who has all of the tools to dominate at offensive tackle. It was during the second quarter against Florida, when starting left tackle Cole Mosier suffered an ankle injury, that Young got his chance.

With George Asafo-Adjei also sidelined by injury, it was Young’s moment to shine against one of the best defensive units in the country.

Young is projected to be one of the true anchors of the Kentucky football program for years to come. He’s arguably the most highly-touted recruit on the roster and his upside is that of an NFL player.

Mosier will likely start when healthy, but Young proved against Florida that he may be ready sooner than later.

Even if the short-term reality may be disconcerting, Mark Stoops is building a talented long-term roster flush with many gifted young players.