PSU on top for Jersey RB

West Deptford, N.J. running back Kordell Young had an impressive outing at the Elite College Combine held in New Jersey in early May. What did the 5-foot-9, 177-pounder think about the experience and who are his leaders at this point in the recruiting process?

"It was a pretty good experience, I enjoyed meeting all the other football players up there," he said. "At first, my shoes were uncomfortable and then in the one-on-one drills I got a lot more comfortable. I ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and a 4.5-second shuttle even though I slipped. I could have run a faster 40 and I know I definitely could have run a faster shuttle, I think for the 40 I was just running too tight."

Young seems to be pretty confident with his performance in the one-on-one drills.

"I felt I could do whatever I wanted to. I'm not trying to sound cocky, but some of the Rivals 100 linebackers didn't seem like that to me," he said. "I don't want to talk down on them, but I know linebackers around me that can cover better than them and are more aggressive, that's just how it seemed though."

Young went up against some of the top linebackers in the country including Navorro Bowman, Akeem Hebron and Jeremiha Hunter.

"Hunter congratulated me for beating him," he said. "While Bowman had an attitude with me, I guess because I was his first victim. I did pretty well against all those guys and I didn't even know who they were until the next day when I checked their names."

Overall, how did the running back prospect feel he did at the combine and what did he think he showed scouts?

"I felt pretty good as far as where I stand and I don't have anything else to prove, even though I feel I didn't do my best," he said. "I think I showed my speed and quickness and I caught every ball that was thrown to me in my reach. I don't think a lot of scouts understood how fast I am and I think I showed that there and I know people didn't know I have good hands, because we don't pass much in our offense."

With the evaluation period stil ongoing, Young has received a lot of visits from schools including Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple, Iowa, Northwestern, Virginia, North Carolina, Syracuse, Maryland, Rutgers and Illinois. Did anyone stand out?

"I really liked a lot of the coaches," he said. "The top ones would have to be Virginia, Penn State and Syracuse because they really made me feel comfortable when I was talking to them. They acted like they knew me for a real long time and explained everything I wanted to know about the school. They didn't seem like they were lying, everything was the truth."

Coincidentally, Young's favorites are just those three -- Virginia, Penn State and Syracuse. What does the athlete like about them over other schools?

"I like how the coaches come off," he said. "They all make me feel like I could be at home there, even though it doesn't matter how far it really is from home. I also like Rutgers a lot."

Besides visits, Young has acquired two new offers from Illinois and Kent.

"I haven't really even talked to the coach from Kent. I met him and shook his hand and they told me they offered, but I don't know much about them," he said. "Illinois wants me to play wide receiver because they like my speed. I like that they run the four wide receiver offense and they could put me in there right away along with kickoffs and punt returns to play. I think Ron Zook is a good coach."

The prospect also received calls from Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Virginia and Syracuse so far.

"The one that stuck out was Syracuse," he said. "The coach called the other day and made some jokes about me and my teammates and about track. He made jokes about if we could dance and stuff."

Currently, Young has Penn State on top.

"I feel like they are my number one right now," he said. "I'm hoping to get a feel for them more and I want to see what I really think about it. I've heard it's a really nice place."

Young is also running track in the offseason.

"Track and lifting are going good, I've gotten my leg strength up and I'm squatting 500-pounds," he said. "The season is going for us and we're starting to win a couple meets, we used to lose a lot, but now we're winning. I'm first on the team in points and I do the long jump, triple jump, 100 and 200. For meets, I'm dominating the long jump and my fastest time is 10.8-seconds."

This summer Young is planning to attend camp at Rutgers.

As for a decision, it's just hard to say right now.

"I'm not sure, because my coach wants a decision before the season starts," he said. "I'm not sure if I'll be dedicated to somewhere by then, I hope to be, but you never know."

Young ran for 1,251 yards and 22 touchdowns as he was named all-South Jersey and all-conference.