By Keenan Cummings
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coach Neal Brown made it clear West Virginia was looking for some help in the defensive secondary, and the Mountaineers have found just that.
Arizona safety transfer Scottie Young committed to WVU last weekend, giving the Mountaineers an experienced option in the backend of the defense. A three-year starter for the Wildcats, Young started 30 games during his time in Tucson, including all 12-games last season.
Young was the leading tackler for Arizona last season in the secondary, recording 66 stops and serving as one of the more valuable run stoppers at his position.
A native of California, Young had a tie to the WVU football program in the sense cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae was on staff at Arizona when Young was a freshman. Combine that with the Mountaineers needing another experienced option at the safety spot and those ties made sense.
Young will have one year of eligibility remaining in his career and should be able to suit up this fall.
During his time with Arizona, Young developed into one of the leaders of the defense and was one of the standouts with his level of play. The one area he did struggle at times was in coverage, but there are a lot of things to like, according to Matt Moreno of the Rivals.com Arizona affiliate.
“He said all the right things. On the field, he’s really good against the run and racked up a lot of tackles throughout his career because of it,” Moreno said.
Young fills one of the two remaining scholarships the Mountaineers held over from the 2020 class, and now by addressing the defensive backfield, the focus will turn toward offensive line and defensive line. But Young provides an experienced piece to a defense looking to replace Josh Norwood.
While visits are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountaineers have done work to help their football team improve at a position of need.
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