A former five-star is now all in to seize the moment at the University of Alabama.
He came in the 2023 recruiting class under Nick Saban from Florida, but small injuries limited him in his first two seasons. Richard Young is fully healthy and the college football world is about to get a taste of how electric he is. He finished 2024 with seven carries — including two for touchdowns — and 146 rushing yards in seven games. Young averaged 5.4 yards per attempt, but Justice Haynes’ departure to Michigan (NCAA transfer portal) opens a bigger opportunity for him. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder enters his third year in Alabama’s program.
Alabama WR featured on EA Sports College Football 26 cover
Young had a very good spring, but his blend of power, speed, and patience is ready to excel under new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb. The redshirt sophomore hooked up with a running back consultant, Marquell Beckwith, and has been putting in work. Beckwith, owner of Beckwith Sports Academy, works with the best running backs in the sport out of Atlanta, Ga.
He has Young cutting, shifting, bouncing outside, and moving with agility very well.
offseason work with @AlabamaFTBL running back @richardyoung239 💎 pic.twitter.com/EX9iIn293J
— Beckwith Sports Academy (@bsa28_) May 27, 2025
Young shares a backfield with Jam Miller, Dre Washington (transfer from Louisiana), Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, and AK Dear (freshman), yet he is set to make the most of his carries.
Alabama fans have enjoyed watching Young since high school, but now they want to see him put everything together as a complete player.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and writer for The Bama Standard. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
