Jordan Young trained by former NFL corner, now Corey Raymond
Before his arrival in Gainesville, Florida Gators defensive back Jordan Young received training from former NFL defensive back Garnell Wilds.
Young, who is Wilds’ cousin, said Wilds was someone who he looked up to throughout his life from a football standpoint.
“My cousin, Garnell Wilds, he trained me my whole life,” Young told Gators Online and others. “He played defensive back in the NFL back then, so that’s who trained me.”
Young added that Wilds was tough on him and that there was “no nonsense” at their training sessions.
Wilds played in the NFL for two seasons with Washington and Carolina during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He appeared in five games and racked up 11 tackles.
Before breaking onto the pro scene, Wilds attended Virginia Tech from 2000-03, where he racked up nine career interceptions. He had a career-high five interceptions as a junior.
Young credits Wilds for the player he is today as he heads into his second season with the Gators.
“A lot. He’s the one that made me elevate my game to get to where I’m at now,” he said. “And now, Coach [Corey] Raymond’s just piggybacking off that.”
Raymond’s impact on Young, other defensive backs
Young now has another former NFL defensive back coaching him in Raymond, who played in the league from 1992-97 with the New York Giants and Detriot Lions.
Between his NFL background and coaching track record, Raymond quickly earned the respect of his new players at Florida.
“Oh, he gets the utmost respect,” Young said. “When he talks, we all listen. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy. Anything he say we listen to, and we try to do what he tells us to do every time we have a meeting.”
Raymond regularly tells his cornerbacks to “stack the days” when they have position meetings. Young has taken that motto and ran with it, and now he’s getting first-team reps in fall training camp.
“Coach Raymond, he emphasizes that a lot. Stack the days. Just to keep working, keep betting better,” Young said. “He definitely is helping me elevate my game. He talks to us every day, on us about the little details, which can turn into big things if we don’t pay attention to the little things. We’ve all been picking his brain, and he’s been helping us get better and better every day.”
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
