Penn State, FSU, Ohio State visit elite 2023 running back Richard Young
Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh running back Richard Young has cemented himself as one of 2023’s elite prospects, and three of college football’s biggest names visited him Thursday.
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and assistant Odell Haggins were in to see the four-star running back this morning, and Penn State‘s James Franklin was in this afternoon.
And later in the afternoon, Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford stopped in as well, according to Young’s high school coach. Young rates as the No. 35 overall player in the 2023 On100 rankings.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder is widely considering the top running back in the class, and he has the offers to back it up. Forty-three of them, in fact. Among them are some of college football’s biggest programs: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, and the aforementioned Seminoles and Nittany Lions.
As a junior this season for Lehigh, Young has rushed for 1,005 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 105 carriers. He’s averaging better than 200 rushing yards per game for the 4-1 Lightning. Over the course of his two-plus years of varsity football, he’s amassed more than 2,800 rushing yards and still has a season and a half to go.
Richard Young likes Ohio State
Young told On3’s Chad Simmons that the Buckeyes were his top school over the summer, and he visited Columbus for the first time in June.
“They’re definitely the top school,” Young told Simmons. “I like it … I definitely love it there and am planning to go back there for a game and I really do love the coaches, the players, all that. It was a good environment.”
He’s built a strong relationship with Alford, and the running backs coach visiting all the way from Columbus on Thursday is an excellent example of that.
In August, Richard Young listed Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma, USC and Oregon as his top schools. He visited the Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Seminoles, Crimson Tide and Tigers over the summer, and he’s expected to be back at Ohio State on Oct. 30 for the Penn State game.