Slimmer Young a better fit for Hurricanes
made his MLB debut, is establishing himself as a full-time player and is on a star-studded Puerto Rico roster that is trying to break through for a title in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
And it was the up-and-coming
The picture just about everyone painted of Colbie Young’s arrival in Coral Gables last year told the story of someone who couldn’t possibly have been properly and fully prepared for what was about to come.
Coach Mario Cristobal joked that Young was flown in “by a helicopter’’ and jumped out “right before camp’’ began.
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke remembered not really taking notice of him until the Miami Hurricanes’ preseason training camp began.
Even Young admitted he wasn’t totally ready — not prepared for the South Florida heat or Atlantic Coast Conference speed.
How could he have been? A year ago, he was at Lackawanna College, a junior college in Pennsylvania, and had only just picked up his first scholarship offer.
Even eight months ago, Young thought this would just now be the time he was getting to Florida — his original plan was to stay in Scranton, Pennsylvania, for one more JUCO season.
Instead, he transferred to Miami just weeks before fall camp began, tried to absorb as much information as possible, offered to play on just about every special teams unit he could and became the Hurricanes’ unlikely top wide receiver.
This spring, then, is a nice change of pace.
“It just feels more relaxing,” Young said Thursday, “more comfortable to actually not rush to learn the offense, to be ready to actually prepare for the offense and be able to prepare my body better for the season.”
Even though Young is only three spring practices into 2023, the extra time to prepare is already yielding results.
The 6-foot-5 wideout has slimmed down from about 220 pounds to 203, he said, and he feels quicker and