Tennessee Football: Byron Young announces plans for Orange Bowl, 2023 NFL Draft
Tennessee senior edge rusher Byron Young will play for the Vols in the Orange Bowl against Clemson before declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft, he announced on Thursday. Tennessee is currently going through bowl practices to prepare for the December 30 kickoff against the Tigers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Young issued a statement on Twitter announcing his news:
“What a ride it has been. Thank you to Vol nation for welcoming me with open arms to Rocky Top. From when I first stepped on campus, I made sure to give my all for Tennessee every single day and, thanks to the coaching of Coach Garner and Coach Heupel, I became the payer and man I am today.
“The journey has been long and challenging, but everything happens for a reason. From my time at Dollar General to seeing a flyer to try out for Georgia Military College’s football team, every single road led me down the path I was destined for. Through it all, I learned that hard work, determination, and grit can take you wherever you want in life — you just have to work for it.
“With that, I want to say that they job is not finished. I look forward to taking the field with my brothers in the Orange Bowl before declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. I can’t wait to see Vol Nation in Miami!”
Byron Young had 80 tackles, 21.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks in 22 career games with Vols
Wide receivers Cedric Tillman and Jalin Hyatt opted out of the Orange Bowl while declaring for the NFL Draft, with Hyatt forgoing his senior season of eligibility. Tennessee All-SEC First Team right tackle Darnell Wright declared for the draft but will play in the bowl game alongside Young.
Young, the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder out of Georgetown, S.C., had 80 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, with an interception and two passes deflected, in his 22 games at Tennessee over the last two season.
He had a breakout junior season in 2021, with 46 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and an interception in 10 games. He had 34 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in 12 games this season.
Tennessee signed Young out of Georgia Military College in December 2020. He attended Carvers Bay High School in Hemingway, S.C., and was working at a Dollar General Store when he saw a flyer to try out for the football team at Georgia Military College.
Up Next: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson, Orange Bowl, December 30, ESPN
There he became a three-star junior-college prospect, ranked No. 9 overall in the On3 Consensus junior college ratings. He was the No. 1 edge rusher in the class and the No. 1 junior-college prospect out of Georgia.
Young earned First Team All-SEC honors from both the league coaches and the Associated Press this season. He also earned an 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl and 20243 East-West Shrine Game invites.
