North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Willie Young
11/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tim Peeler
The date was May 9, 2009, and Willie Young will never forget it.
That morning, after donning a flimsy black gown and mortar board, he joined thousands of other NC State students at the RBC Center for the most important event of his life, picking up his hard-earned diploma that represents his bachelor’s degree in Science and Technology.
When Young arrived in Raleigh nearly five years ago – later than he expected, to be honest – getting a college degree was the last thing on his mind. He was eager to serve his apprenticeship under future first-round NFL draft picks Mario Williams and Manny Lawson, learn a little football, add some meat to his lanky frame and move on.
But Young now realizes that the dreams of his youth were a little premature: getting to the NFL is not quite as easy as he thought.
He had to get several things in order before he could even contribute to the Wolfpack football team. First, he spent a semester at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., just to qualify under NC AA entrance requirements.
Then, he had to sit out the 2005 season as a redshirt. While Williams and Lawson terrorized opposing offenses on the nation’s top-ranked defense, Young waited his turn and tried to bulk up his over-sized frame with a little muscle and girth.
Finally, he had to learn a little self-control, something that didn’t really happen until last season, after he was removed from the starting lineup by second-year head coach Tom O’Brien, who wanted Young to understand how to play within a defensive system, not just be a one-man show.
“When I got here, I was looking for a program that fit my style of play,” Young says. “I wanted some place that would allow me to be a natural athlete and do the things I am capable of, to just make plays.
“But I have benefitted from the two very different programs we have had here during my career, first under coach [Chuck] Amato and under coach [Tom] O’Brien. In these last couple of years, I have learned a lot about gap integrity and all the things that will help me at the next level.”
Now, as he approaches the final few games of his college football career, Young’s education is nearly complete. He now knows that he can’t single-handedly win a football game, that he has to take care of his responsibilities on every play and that it takes everyone on defense to stop the opposition.
He also knows that there is more to life than football, a lesson he learned while pursuing his degree and while spending time with his 4-year-old son, Willie Young III. Nothing made the elder Young happier than earlier this season when his younger brother brought the toddler down on the field prior to Florida State game. What dad doesn’t want to show his kid where he works?
For the gregarious Young, sometimes it’s hard to have a serious conversation about how much he has grown up over the last five years. With his fun-loving nature and broad smile, he generally finds a way to divert interviews to some other topic, like his favorite pastime, fishing.
But he’s never been more sincere when he says getting his degree is the most important thing he got out of his college career.
“It means everything to me,” Young says. “Even when I hear people say ‘Willie Young has a college degree’ it makes me feel emotional. I never thought I could do that.”
Young admits that he didn’t have it easy growing up. His family split time between the urban setting of Palm Beach, Fla., and the small-town atmosphere of Cuthbert, Ga., where everyone knew everyone else’s business. Being a part-time resident of both places made going to school tough on Young.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 9.5 on the difficulty scale,” Young said. “I never spent much time in one place. The only reason I wouldn’t give it that extra half a point is that I survived it all.”
Young freely confesses that he struggled academically. Learning from books was not nearly as intuitive as learning how to play football or how to catch a large-mouth bass.
“My dad always pushed me and my mom and grandma always pushed me,” Young said. “They all worked with me, but it was always a challenge to be very successful in the classroom. I just wasn’t good at it.”
But his older brother, Champ, earned his degree from Eastern Kentucky, and that always inspired Willie. He figured he could follow in those footsteps.
After spending time at Hargrave and getting through his first few semesters at NC State, Young found his academic groove and fulfilled his degree requirements last spring. This fall, he’s doing something he never thought he would do when he was in high school: taking graduate level courses.
It’s all part of the maturation process for Young, who turned 24 in September and is the oldest player on the NC State roster.
“The guys all call me ‘Grandpa,’” Young says. “Dantonio Burnette [former player and assistant strength and conditioning coach] says I am already older than some of the people who come back in the spring for those football player reunions.
“I do know a lot of those guys.”
After five years in Raleigh – the longest he’s ever spent in one place – Young says he would like to someday return to his adoptive home. But he’s not ready to settle down.
He appears to have a big future in the NFL. His play early in the season, when he had seven sacks in the first five games, earned him a lot of attention from the professional scouts and probably a higher paycheck for next season. He’s projected to be a first- or second-round pick in the NFL draft next spring.
At one time, that was the most important thing on Young’s mind. Now, however, Young has a better understanding of how the world fits together. Football has led him to an education and more opportunities for the future, even though he remains on track to play professional football, which was his ultimate goal when he got here.
“This has meant everything to me,” Young said. “Since my son was born, I have never been able to spend a lot of time with him. So I didn’t want to be up here wasting my time, being away from him, not getting a degree or not getting better in football.
“I have always been motivated to do and keep doing what I need to do.”
Now, as his college career winds down, he simply wants to make sure he gives all he can for the team and the school that has provided him with such a useful and necessary education.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about these last games,” Young said. “I won’t be satisfied unless I am leaving blood on the field. I’ve been trying to do that since the first game of the season.
“Win or lose, I am laying it all on the line.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
