University of Tennessee wide receiver Devrin Young (19) points to a punted ball during drills at Haslam Field on August 2.KNOXVILLE – As Tennessee’s offense continues to search for playmakers, Devrin Young is trying to ensure his name is in the hat when the Volunteers start the season.
The 5-foot-8, 171-pound junior from Knoxville moved from tailback to receiver before spring practice and hopes to reclaim a role on Tennessee’s special teams unit as a returner.
Though Young has made some nice plays this preseason, he’s hardly settling.
“I’d say I feel better about where I stand,” he said Wednesday morning after the first of Tennessee’s two practices. “I’m not happy with where I’m at right now. In this league, you can’t ever really get content or too happy, so really at the end of the day I’m just working to keep building every day.”
Young followed up a freshman season where averaged 84 all-purpose yards per game with a disappointing sophomore campaign. His most extensive work at tailback, a 13-carry, 58-yard peformance against Mississippi State, was marred by a game-changing fumble. He returned only eight kickoffs a season after returning 27 in 2011, as the electrifying Cordarrelle Patterson stole Young’s thunder there.