Who will replace Tyler Brown on Colorado’s offensive line?
By Matt Kennedy
The depth of the new-look Colorado football team is already being tested before Week 1 even starts.
Projected starting guard Tyler Brown was denied eligibility for the 2023 season by the NCAA last Friday. Due to the two-transfer rule, the Jackson State transfer won’t see the field in the fall. Brown was in line to be a potential starter for the Buffs, but with him sidelined, the questioned depth of the CU line is already being tested.
Likely to start this Saturday against TCU could be Liberty transfer Reggie Young. The New Orleans native has played at nearly every level of college football, including two seasons at Iowa Central Community College, where he earned NJCAA second-team All-American honors in 2021.
Young is listed as six-foot-four and 290 pounds, which is 20 pounds lighter than Brown’s listed weight of 310 pounds. What he lacks in size, Young makes up for in experience and confidence.
Coming directly from his mouth, Young is ready for the opportunity that he may be presented with this season.
“I’ve quite literally had to crawl my way up the ladder,” Young told BuffZone. “I started at the very lowest level. I went to junior college and I had to truly work on my game. Those times are what built the player I am now, being faithful to my god and just being faithful to the ultimate picture that I had for myself and my career. I’ve been stacking days for years now. So I just felt like, man, it’s coming together. I’ve been faithful and I’m ready for this opportunity.”
Reggie Young is among many exciting new Colorado football faces in 2023
Young is one of 80-plus players who are new to Colorado football this fall and a lot of eyes are going to be on the product. With his experience, the graduate student feels as if he can make an impact in his last year of eligibility.
“I’ve played in games. I have experience,” Young said back in May when he transferred to CU. “I’m more than ready to impact right now. … I’m not a project. I’m ready to play right now.”
Brown’s ineligibility is a definitive blow to the Buffs’ roster, but the players in Boulder are ready to step up in any area of need. Coach Prime is building a culture of passion and confidence that has yet to exist in college football. The players, including Reggie Young, Prime has brought in reflect that culture.
Other notable names could be Missouri State transfer Landon Bebee and Jack Wilty. Bebee was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection while Wilty was a 2022 ICCAC Football All-Conference first-team selection at Iowa Central Community College, just like Reggie Young was the year prior.
