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Signing Day: Lehigh star running back Richard Young signs with Alabama Crimson Tide

alex martin, fort myers news-press
·4 min read

There was no signing day drama involved with Richard Young’s decision Wednesday.

The standout running back held true to his dream school, putting on the Alabama hat after signing his National Letter of Intent in the Lehigh Senior High School auditorium surrounded by family, coaches, and teammates.

“Today, just signing is a blessing from God,” Young told The News-Press. “Without him, I wouldn’t be in this position today. I’m glad it’s finally final, and now it's just worrying about Bama now, and worrying about my future.

“I don’t have to worry about other schools now. I’m locked in on Bama, and I signed today. I’m not going nowhere.”

Young is Southwest Florida’s highest-ranked prospect since Sammy Watkins, who came out of South Fort Myers in 2011. The winner of the Southwest Florida Football Offense Player of the Year award in 2021, Young ran for 1,755 yards and 20 total touchdowns as a junior. Young ran for 4,693 yards with 42 TDs over four years at Lehigh, with a career-high 302 yards coming against Lake Gibson this season, a game that was televised on ESPNU.

More:Signing Day 2022: Clemson, UCF, Arizona St., USC, Illinois, FAMU, Memphis sign SWFL talent

“I made a TikTok post this morning, something came to my head,” former Lehigh coach James Chaney said. “The question was, if you walked into high school, and somebody told you there was no way you’d play college football, would you still play high school football? That made me think of Richard and the Venice game. We were getting beat, and one of our outside linebackers got hurt, and Richard Young goes in, plays on both sides of the ball, getting banged up, battling. He starts to cry when we take him out and say, that’s enough.

Richard Young signs to the University of Alabama while his family watches at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.
Richard Young signs to the University of Alabama while his family watches at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.

“That kid would’ve played football no matter what. That’s why he’s in the top one to two percentiles. Kids just got to understand the new era and age of people getting offers and people being on Twitter. You cannot take for granted the want to and the dedication to football, and that’s Richard Young.”

Young has been a local legend since his Pop Warner days, where he started as a defensive tackle. He’s been the one who has often been at the mountaintop when it came to recognition and athleticism. Now, he’ll be surrounded by a slew of four- and five-star recruits when he gets to Tuscaloosa next year.

“I just know that when I get to Bama, I’ve got to compete,” Young said. “Everything is 100 percent. Even class, 100 percent. Everything. I’ve got to go in and compete, compete, compete. Me and (Buford RB) Justice Haynes have to compete together and make each other better.”

Friends and family attend a signing day celebration for Richard Young and Kelton Henderson at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.
Friends and family attend a signing day celebration for Richard Young and Kelton Henderson at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022.

Chaney echoed Young’s sentiment of being able to compete from the start. In the day and age of the transfer portal and how instability on college rosters has increased over the years, Chaney expressed confidence that Young will trust the process, and be able to handle certain situations the correct way.

“Richard Young has been on the top of the mountain for a long time,” Chaney added. “Youth football, high school football, he’s been on top. Now, he’s gotta go somewhere where he’s starting at the bottom. What I want him to progress into is to handle things maturely, being able to work his way back into situations, being able to deal with being in the doghouse, being able to deal with being on top.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing him grow into that type of a person. I don’t think he’s gonna have a problem with it. College has its challenges and being somewhere like the University of Alabama, he’s going to be around a lot of special athletes. I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles situations that arise.”

Richard Young and Kelton Henderson talk to each other during a signing day celebration at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Young signed with the university of Alabama and Henderson signed with the University of South Carolina.
Richard Young and Kelton Henderson talk to each other during a signing day celebration at Lehigh Senior High School in Lehigh Acres on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Young signed with the university of Alabama and Henderson signed with the University of South Carolina.

Young’s ability to recruit key targets to Tuscaloosa has made him an early fan favorite. Five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor flipped from Iowa in recent days, as did five-star defensive end Keon Keeley from Notre Dame. Two more five-stars that Young was recruiting, Qua Russell and James Smith, announced their pledges to the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.

Young didn’t mention individual goals when he takes his first snap at Alabama, but rather team-oriented goals. He’s focused on getting the Crimson Tide back to the mountaintop of college football.

“A national championship,” Young said. “A couple of them.”

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Signing Day: Lehigh running back Richard Young inks with Alabama