Willie Young: 'Leaving a Legacy'

NC State Defensive End Willie Young could have been playing football on Sundays in 2009, but he had unfinished business to attend to. In coming back for one more go-around, Willie allowed himself the chance to be a part of establishing a solid football tradition at NC State under Coach Tom O'Brien. On top of that, it turns out that 2009 would be a historical year for Young. He had the chance to establish himself as one of the best defensive players to ever put on the Red and White. Coming into this season it was inevitable that Young would shake up the NC State record books, sitting right outside of the Top-10 in sacks and tackles for loss.

In the Murray State game Willie cracked the Top-10 of both categories, collecting 2 sacks for a loss for 14 yards. Currently Young sits in 9th place in both categories with 35.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in his career.

Sacks

1. Mario Williams (2003-05) 55.5-227
2. Carl Reeves (1991-94) 45-269
3. Manny Lawson (2002-05) 41-221
4. Dantonio Burnette (1999-2002) 41-153
5. Stephen Tulloch (2003-05) 40-113
6. Tyler Lawrence (1990-93) 38-139
7. Patrick Thomas (2001-04) 37-144
8. Oliver Hoyte (2002-05) 36.5-79
9. Willie Young (2005-pres.) 35.5-179

Tackles For Loss

1. Mario Williams (2003-05) 25.5-156
2. Tyler Lawrence (1990-93) 24-157
3. Carl Reeves (1991-94) 22.5-197
4. Manny Lawson (2002-05) 21-163
Mike Jones (1987-90) 21-128
5. Ray Agnew, (1986-89) 17-117
George Anderson (1999-2002) 17-94
7. Corey Smith (1998-01) 15.5-138
Patrick Thomas (2001-04) 15.5-98
9. Wilie Young (2005-pres.) 15.5-110
10. Frank Bush (1981-84) 15-138

When I asked Willie what cracking the Top-10 in both of these categories meant to him, he became silent for a moment, (which if you spend much time around Willie, you know this is rare) took a deep breath and whistled.

"I mean, you just brought something to my attention that I wasn't even aware of. But that means a lot," Young said. "There's a lot of great guys up there that worked hard and earned a spot in that Top-10. Now that I've made my way up in there some how, I'll just look to continue to do what I'm doing and let the chips fall where they may fall."

It takes a special player to realize that their individual achievements are not solely theirs. Every great player is extremely talented in their own right, but they don't reach their full potential without the guidance of their coaches and the efforts of their teammates. Young clearly understands this, deflecting a lot of the praise to Coach Archer.

"Coach Archer does a great job at putting me in position to make great plays. That's all I can say," Young said. "He tells me where to go, how it should be played, where I'm supposed to be at, and I just try the best that I can to make the most out of that particular play."

Young will have a challenge on Saturday, going against a young man that he could possibly suit up against at the next level. Pittsbugh's Jason Pinkston is a 6-4, 305 pound Junior Left Tackle who has NFL written all over him. Young states that he is ready for the competition.

"That will be a great competition," Young said. "Whoever shows up on Saturday to play ball is going to win the battle."

Pinkston and the rest of the big boys on Pittsburgh's O-line have been a force to be reckoned with thus far. They have only allowed one sack through 3 games.

"When your approaching an opponent that has only been sacked once all year, of course your going to have guys saying "I'm going to see if I can't get the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th sack on them" Young said.

Young likes his D-line's chances. He happens to captain a defense that is tops in the ACC and second nationally in Total Defense. Willie believes a lot of that has to do with the Defensive Line.

"The game relies upon the defensive line. We set the tempo. We set the tone. It's up to the D-line," Young said. "We're getting off the ball. We're making plays. We're pressuring the Quarterback, which makes him throw the ball when he's not ready."

The front four has been a wrecking crew. They are only giving up 70 yards of rushing per game (2.0 yards per carry). According to Young, it has a lot to do with the mentality the four share in common.

"Man, we just stick together right now. We're tied together as tight as a knot," Young said. "We're not allowing anything to come up between us. Nothing down the middle. You can go over the top or try to go around, but we refuse to let anything go up the middle."

Willie Young is one of the biggest personalities that has suited up for the Wolfpack in quite awhile. He boasts a huge grin, you never know what he might say next and possesses a charisma and personality that is contagious. He plays the game with emotion and his teammates feed off of him. Young ignites his teammates and the fans in Carter-Finley anytime he brings down an opponent in the backfield. This season, Young has been jumping up after a tackle for loss or a sack, with a celebration that should be familiar to all Pack fans. In a tribute to injured NC State Linebacker Nate Irving, Willie Young as adopted his celebration move.

When asked if he had been using Irvin'gs celebration, Young chuckled, and said...

"Oh yes I have. Yes I have. And I will continue. I guess you could call it my tribute to Nate Irving. Soon as he's back in action, I'll give it back to him...Well, I'll think about giving it back to him..."

I'm pretty sure Willie will give Irving back his celebration. Not many players possess the wit and creativity that he has. With the legacy that Young is carving at NC State and the one that he will inevitably create in the future on Sunday's, you can bet that Young will come up with a repertoire of his own celebration moves.