Advertisement
football Edit

West Virginia football will have safety Young for Liberty Bowl

Young will make his season debut for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team.
Young will make his season debut for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team.

West Virginia won’t have its leading tackler for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Army, but another Arizona transfer will be making his season debut.

Tony Fields, the graduate transfer from Arizona, finished with 88 tackles, a sack and an interception over 9 games but will not be playing Dec. 31 as he focuses on preparing for the NFL Draft. That is the only player that is expected not to suit up for the game as the Mountaineers are heading into practice mode to prepare for the game.

In addition to that positive news, West Virginia will be adding a player that hasn’t suited up at all this season. Scottie Young, another transfer from Arizona, has been sitting out all year due to NCAA transfer rules but recent changes has allowed him to not only practice but play against the Black Knights.

Young, a three-year starter with the Wildcats, recorded 150 tackles and 5 interceptions in the Pac-12 but has spent this season on scout team. In many ways, that has made him a better player similar to the growth that another transfer in Alonzo Addae displayed last year.

“He’s had a tremendous year. Very similar to Alonzo Addae and what he did a year ago,” head coach Neal Brown said. “Was on scout team and scout special teams and really made himself a better football player and it’s showing. Scottie has had that same type of year.”

The Mountaineers have moved him all over the defense but it’s what he’s done outside of the football field that has really aided him in his transition. Young has had a great attitude on scout team and changed his body to get himself in even better shape to prepare for an expanded role.

Now, Young will have that unexpected opportunity.

Brown believes that Young is going to slot into roles at either safety or spear for the Mountaineers and he also will play a role on special teams. It’s something that Brown believes could be a platform for him to head into the 2021 season where he will play his final year of eligibility.

“I think it’s a good into for him going into the 2021 season,” Brown said.

----------

• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @JaredSerre

•Like us on Facebook

Advertisement