Vols among the favorites for pass-rusher Byron Young

Georgia Military defensive end and outside linebacker Byron Young is one of the best recruiting stories of the 2021 class. He sees more and more interest by the day and yet somehow finds a way to keep things low key.

"Really nothing too much," Young said about new developments. "I like all the teams that are recruiting me and it comes down to me making my decision."

Auburn, Tennessee, Florida State, Missouri, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Georgia are all in contact with Young. The first three seem to be standing out the most and each of them have the same critique of his game.

"They love my speed," Young said. "They love it and my style of the game. You know, they think I can be a difference-maker to their defense. They think I do stunts really well.

Young and Georgia Military didn't have a season this fall so he will have three years of eligibility left. Tennessee was the first school to come hard for him and he's not forgotten it.

"They have always been in my top five," Young said. "I have always liked Tennessee. They always compete with Alabama. They have always been one of my favorites. Just stuff like that."

Outside linebackers coach Shelton Felton has been the one recruiting Young the hardest. He's been very eager to land the edge pass-rusher, who is originally from Georgetown, South Carolina.

"He calls me every day honestly," Young said. "He texts me every morning and I like the way he do. Good guy who just doesn't talk about football. He talks about life and I like a coach that does that. Some just want to talk about football 24-7 and he talks about different things.

"He also talks football too though so he tells me how they would use me and how I'd fit into their defense."

"He's a family guy," Young said. "He tells me that is important to him. He calls me when he gets home late and we just be talking about life after football and what I want to do after football."

And as for Jeremy Pruitt, the two frequent the phone and facetime calls with a common bond that is different than most.

"He gets on the phone with me when I talk to coach Felton," Young said. "I work at Circle-K and he says he used to work at a gas station. He loves how I hustle and how I work."

Young is 22 years old and is several years removed from high school. He was working as an assistant manager at Dollar General in Columbus, Georgia and saw an online flyer for football tryouts at Georgia Military two days before the tryouts were set to take place. He made the decision and now has several power-5 programs chasing him.

"I really love football," Young said. "It's why I didn't want to give it up. I'm an older guy. Usually guys my age let it go, but I can't let it go."

Young isn't your typical recruit as he hasn't been in the recruiting process for a long period of time and this current class is unable to take visits. Much like his leap of faith to extend his playing career, his next destination could very well be the same type of decision.

"It's one of those things where I'm going to have to come up with it," Young said. "I haven't been in this before so I have to make the decision that I feel is best for me when the time comes."