Colbie Young making the most of his last chance with Georgia football
ATHENS — Colbie Young was not supposed to be on Georgia’s 2025 team.
When he transferred to Georgia from Miami, the thought was that he would be in Athens for only one season because of his eligibility clock. He spent one season at Lackawanna College before two seasons in Miami.
Young’s first — and what seemed like only — season in Athens was marred by an October arrest and suspension. A charge of misdemeanor assault on an unborn child ultimately was dismissed, and Young pleaded no contest to a disorderly conduct charge that was amended from a misdemeanor charge of simple battery.
He played in only five games and had to watch as the Georgia passing offense crumbled without its big-bodied outside wide receiver.
“Just being grateful in my situation that I’m in, I’m blessed to be here,” Young said on what he learned from his legal situation. “I’m blessed to be around the teammates that 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, making sure I was good every day, and I love them for that every day.”
But when Diego Pavia won a federal injunction from a judge in Tennessee that granted him extra eligibility because of his time in junior college, Young got a second chance.
Through the early parts of the season, Young is making the most of his new opportunity.
He led Georgia in receiving in the win Saturday against Austin Peay, catching seven passes for 76 yards. Both are high-water marks for Young in his time in Athens.
“He knows what he’s fighting for and what he’s playing for,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s got a lot of good intentions in terms of what he wants to get out of the season, and that’s shown up in his special teams play. It’s shown up in his work ethic.
“It’s shown 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.”
Smart isn’t the only coach to praise Young this season, with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo largely saying the same things in August.
Young’s intangibles had been more noteworthy than his play entering the Austin Peay contest. Part of that can be chalked up to the early-season passing struggles for the Bulldogs.
Young looks to be a possible remedy for those ailments. He was the only Georgia receiver with more than three receptions. He nearly had an eighth and his first touchdown of the season on an end zone fade in the fourth quarter, but Young was unable to pull in the Gunner Stockton pass.
Young’s size makes him an obvious red-zone threat. But he’s improved his ability to break tackles, doing so in each of Georgia’s first two wins. He’s shown he can get open, make defenders miss and win in tight spaces.
“(Wide receivers) coach (James) Coley 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, 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, we’re going to get the dirty yards and get what we need.”
Young understands the stakes for the 2025 season. It will be his last in college football, as there will not be another court ruling to extend his career.
Missing most of the 2024 season taught Young a lot. He relishes the opportunity he has in front of him this season, having put his disastrous 2024 in the rearview mirror.
He knows it’s a privilege to play football for Georgia. One he doesn’t intend to let slip through his massive hands.
“I’m blessed to be here for another year, and I’m just taking it as a positive lesson that I’ve seen what it can be like,” Young said. “And I’m just excited to be here and play football, a game that I love.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
