In Union County, Monroe High’s Jordan Young is an unstoppable force on the field

Jordan Young recalls being tackled only one time in his first season of regular organized football.

“And I didn’t like it,” Young said.

It was probably pretty clear to anyone who watched Young on that Tiny Mite team of 6-year-olds that he was made for football.

“I actually started flag football when I was 4,” he added. “I always enjoyed the game.”

With a short basketball detour along the way, Young has developed into a highly sought-after college recruit — a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back who fills in as a wide receiver and has made Monroe High a 2A state championship contender.

“There is so much he can do,” said Johnny Sowell, who is in his 39th season as Monroe’s football coach and has sent four Redhawk players into the NFL.

Like many high-level high school football players, Young has talents in other sports, too.

Despite that only-one-tackle season as a running back and wide receiver at age 6, he decided to give basketball a try. He was good enough to play with travel AAU teams, and he remained a basketball player into his middle school years.

“My last AAU season was when I was in eighth grade,” he said. “It wasn’t that hard giving it up. I knew basketball wasn’t my ticket.”

Two-way standout

After transferring from Union Academy to Monroe for ninth grade, Young went out for the football team. Sowell put him on the varsity. He doubled at wide receiver and defensive back in the team’s first two games, then concentrated on defense for the rest of the season.

Since then, he has played both wide receiver and defensive back.

“I want to be on the field as much as possible,” he said. “I’d like to be out there for every play.”

Young was tough to stop on both sides of the ball, but by last season he emerged as a true standout. He is ranked as a four-star prospect after a junior year with 49 solo tackles, five fumble recoveries, a sack and an interception. He also piled up 812 receiving yards on 34 receptions and eight touchdowns.

He has offers from Clemson, N.C. State, Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and about two dozen other schools and said he will make his decision Oct. 12.

Rumors have linked him to Clemson, but Young is noncommittal.

“I really don’t know yet,” he said.

Interestingly, he noted that N.C. State is the only school that talked about playing him both on offense and defense — something that intrigues him.

Actually, Young said he felt as if the top scholarship offers “came late.”

“Looking at my stats, I thought I would’ve heard from more schools early on,” he said. “But I just kept my head down and worked hard. Eventually, the schools found me.”

The second oldest of Derek and Nikki Young’s five children (four of them boys), Young is soft-spoken but said he can get vocal when needed.

“I consider myself a leader, and sometimes I’ve got to speak up,” he said. “But I’m usually on the quieter side.”

Last January, the Carolina Panthers picked Young to represent the franchise at a combine for outstanding high school football players during the week before the Super Bowl. Young said the attention will not affect him.

“My teammates are very supportive of me,” he said. “Every honor I get, I give to them.”

And as for the attention and honors, he added, “As quickly as something is given to you, it can be taken away.”

Painful lesson

Young was reminded of that in last year’s 2A playoff game against undefeated Bunker Hill. He was sidelined with an injury just three minutes in.

“It hurt to be sitting there, not being able to help them,” he said. “I just tried to coach up the guys who replaced me.”

The Redhawks lost 29-28, and Young said the narrow defeat is helping fuel the team this fall.

“We got some key transfers who will help us on defense,” he said. “We have three running backs good enough to get 1,000 yards. We won’t have to pass the ball so much.

“And defensively, we didn’t lose too many players.”

Young has built a close bond with Sowell.

“He’s a good kid,” Monroe’s head coach said.

Young said he hangs out in Sowell’s office during breaks in his school day and said the Redhawks’ veteran coach has been a help in picking a college.

“Write down the pros and cons for each of the schools,” Sowell told Young. “That will help you make the choice.”

Young said that’s exactly what he did.

“I’ll make the decision when the time comes,” he said. “In the meantime, we have things to do on this (Monroe) team. I think we’re capable of some big things this season.”