8/14/2022 football Edit

Veteran DB Avery Young is looking forward to a strong ending on the banks

Craig Epstein • TheKnightReport

Staff Writer

Entering his fifth year with Rutgers, defensive back Avery Young looks forward to building off last season’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl appearance with a squad that will feature a lot of new faces both on the field and the sideline.

“You love football and you love putting the pads on so all that competitive nature comes out every time you buckle them up,” Young said. “We’re just excited to get better throughout the week and then we know we have to chop each practice and eventually when we get to the scrimmage just let it fly.”

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Between defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey, linebackers coach Corey Hetherman, and defensive line coach Marquise Watson, the Scarlet Knights’ defense will have a lot of new voices in the room as it looks to bounce back from last season’s 25.6 PPG allowed.

“They’re amazing, they’re bringing new energy and sort through that barrier between old and young on the team and bring us in as one,” Young continued. “It’s just amazing to have them on staff, they’re really bringing life into this defense.”

Whether it is at safety or cornerback, Young feels his time with the Scarlet Knights has made him confident enough to not only man the positions, but also teach the intricacies of them to his teammates.

“I’ve played everywhere in the secondary now officially,” he said. “So I’m completely comfortable with our defense and it’s exciting because I can kind of coach each position.”

Although Young admits the team has its good days and its bad days, he believes they will have to take everything as a teaching moment to develop into the squad they want to be.

“We take the good with the bad and learn from it and make sure we’re going to direct everything in a positive direction,” he said. “It’s just one game at a time, that’s the mentality. We have to win one and then stack those games and then eventually we’ll get the result we want.”