Colbie Young grateful for one more year

Colbie Young knows what it feels like to have football taken away.

The Miami transfer missed Georgia’s final nine games of the 2024 season. Georgia suspended Young as he dealt with the legal ramifications of being arrested for misdemeanor battery and assault on an unborn child after an incident with his girlfriend.

Young returned to practice later in the year, but did not appear in another game. The woman involved in the incident later retracted her account and requested that charges be dropped.

Young reached a plea deal earlier this spring and fully returned to the team. Entering his final year of collegiate football, Young is ready to make the most of one more season.

“Just being grateful in my situation that I’m in,” Young said. “I’m blessed to be here. It’s a blessing to be around the teammates I have. We talk about connection every day, and I really saw it when I was out for that moment. I had a blessing of teammates just reaching out to me. They made sure I was good every day, and I love them for that every day.”

Young also found himself with an extra year of eligibility after Diego Pavia’s lawsuit against the NCAA. A judge ruled that a player’s time in junior college wouldn’t count against his eligibility for this season.

After being fully reinstated in the spring, Young is establishing himself as one of the leaders of the offense. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has seen that play out in the early stages of the 2025 season.

“I think he knows what he’s fighting for and what he’s playing for,” Smart said. “He’s got a lot of good intentions in terms of what he wants to get out of the season. That shows up in his special teams play. It shows up in his work ethic. It shows up in his demeanor, his fire, passion, energy, and just the way he plays the game. He’s a leader out there, and he wants it really bad, and that kind off rubs off on the rest of the offense in terms of his physicality, and his catch radius. The players love being around him.”

Young, listed by Georgia at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, came to Athens with a reputation as a contested catch specialist. This offseason he has worked hard on his abilities after the catch, which led to seven catches (his most as a Bulldog) against Austin Peay in week two.

“Coach Coley (James Coley, receivers coach) talks about changing the game,” Young said. “We’ve got to break one of those. You’ve got to be great. If you want to play at the next level, then show why you can play at the next level. I can’t just be a fade ball guy. I’ve got to show if you dump it down underneath, I’m going to get the dirty yards and get what we need.”

Young’s final collegiate season is off to a solid start. He leads Georgia in catches (nine) and is second in yards (106) through two games.

Smart feels that the team and the receiver room have taken on Young’s personality early in the season. As he continues his final run, Young intends to keep that going for a receiver group that is being counted on going forward in 2025.

“We’re going to face adversity. We’re not going to be perfect every day,” Young said. “But just remembering that we’re one of the best units on this team. I’ve seen people make plays every day in that room, and just telling them that you’re one of the best that I’ve ever seen play. So keep staying positive and keep doing what you do.”