Now adjusted to Morgantown weather, Scottie Young adapting to WVU defense
Scottie Young came to Morgantown without a jacket.
“I think I had one hoodie,” Young said with a smile. “I used to freeze my butt off in the winter until we started to get the gear.”
The San Diego native didn’t really need one when he enrolled at West Virginia University last August, but he quickly learned that he wasn’t on the west coast anymore in more ways than one.
Young transferred to West Virginia before last season, having spent the previous three years at the University of Arizona — located roughly 400 miles from his hometown. After starting as a true freshman, Young grew into one of the Pac-12’s top defensive backs during his stint out west.
But after his junior season, Young wanted to make a change. A month after entering the transfer portal, he announced his commitment to the Mountaineers last May.
That meant trading days in Tucson, where November temperatures sit around 74 degrees, for days in Morgantown, where temperatures that month are roughly 20 degrees colder.
“I don’t mind playing in the cold weather, I just don’t like chilling in it,” he said with a laugh.
While his adjustment to the much colder climate came with time, his progression on the field has been a lengthier process.
“It’s a difficult transition,” Young said. “I was talking to [cornerback] Charles Woods the other day and we were talking about how, when you transfer, you’ve got to kind of restart. You’ve got to hit the reset button.”
After making it to campus, Young was forced to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. He spent much of that time off the field working with head coach for football strength and conditioning Mike Joseph.
Because of his ineligible status, that meant meaningful reps were few and far between for Young. Tykee Smith, who manned the Spear position last season, was coming off a season in which he had been a Freshman All-American honoree, so taking snaps away from him was a non-starter.
Young’s only game action came in the Liberty Bowl. It was the only game he was eligible to play in during the 2020 season.
“I feel like I went about it the right way,” Young said about his year off. “Being in the developmental program with coach Mike [Joseph], being with those young guys who were in there with me, I felt like I needed that just to grow mentally. Physically, I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since I’ve been in college. I’m stronger, I’m faster, I feel healthier. I’ve been eating better.
“I think I needed that year off just to kind of get that development,” Young continued. “I feel like I never really had that time to get that. I came in and played as a true freshman at U of A. I was always going, so I didn’t really get the time to really come down and train.”
Heading into fall camp, Young is seen as the expected starter at Spear, which is a hybrid position borrowing skills from both defensive backs and linebackers. He played primarily as a deep safety at Arizona, meaning that the role the Mountaineers expect him to play is new to what was previously expected of him.
“Being with the guys, playing in that spring game, playing in this past scrimmage we just had this Saturday,” Young said, “I feel like I needed those reps just to get a feel for our defense and get a feel for our scheme because, when I played in the bowl game, I just got thrown into the fire.”
Young’s passion lit a fire inside him while he sat out last season, one that is unlikely to be extinguished come Week 1.
“I wanted to get on the field,” Young said. “I love playing football, so it’s more so the game for me. I truly love playing football, so that kind of drove me to want to get out there so bad.”
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