Colbie Young fitting in just fine

If there’s one lesson wide receivers coming into Georgia’s program for the first time are quick to find out, it's that the Bulldogs go about their business differently than most.

Miami transfer Colbie Young is one of the latest examples.

Along with Southern Cal transfer Michael Jackson III and Vanderbilt's London Humphreys, Young has spent his first four months as a Bulldog learning what the program expects from its wide receivers.

Young capped off his spring by catching three passes for 27 yards and a touchdown in the G-Day game.

So, how has he fit in?

“I think all across the board, our wideouts may be our best leadership group. O-line maybe and then receiver. They have some really good core leaders,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “He has integrated himself into that group really well. He’s not the alpha leader, he’s a quiet kid.”

Per Smart, he’s also one who is willing to step outside his comfort zone.

“What impresses me about him is he’s showing up on special teams. I’m like when you show up on special teams and you show a commitment to blocking and holding people up—he’s been a really good special teams player,” Smart said. “We sold him that if you came here, you had to buy into those values. It’s made him tougher, more physical. He’s a big body, he’s a tough matchup for all teams.”

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Young’s size gives him an advantage over many of the defensive backs charged with defending him.

Bulldog cornerback Julian Humphrey is already familiar with his new teammate.

“I saw Colbie Young before he even got here. He’s a good jump ball guy,” Humphrey said. “He’s going on top of people. He’s a big guy. He’s going to be a big piece of our offense for the upcoming year.”

Young has one year of eligibility after one season of junior college and two at Miami. He's had success against SEC teams before. In Miami’s win over Texas A&M, he hauled in six passes for 75 yards and one touchdown.

During the 2022 season against Duke, Young earned ACC Receiver of the Week honors when he caught seven passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Hurricanes to a victory over the Blue Devils.

In two years at Miami, Young collected 79 catches for 930 yards and 10 touchdowns in 22 games.

This past season, he was the Hurricanes’ third-leading receiver behind Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George with 47 catches for 563 yards and five touchdowns.

His future at Georgia also appears bright.

“I’m pleased with where he is. He still has work to do in terms of learning,” Smart said. “I look at him like RaRa last year. This time last year, RaRa didn’t understand the offense. He couldn’t line up and execute all the time. This year RaRa’s a lot further along. We didn’t have to give him as many reps, we didn’t have to give Arian (Smith) as many reps, but Colbie did a nice job.”