Anthony Young, the father of highly recruited running back Aaron Young, is happy that Arkansas running backs coach Jeff Traylor was so persistent in promoting the Hogs after the pair visited Fayetteville.
He accompanied Aaron on his official visit to Arkansas on Thursday to Saturday of last week.
“We’re pretty glad Coach Traylor actually talked it up and said, ‘You have got to come see it,'" Anthony Young said. "When he said, ‘You got to come see it first’ and he was right about it. You really couldn’t even fathom unless you came.”
Young (5-10, 195 pounds) of Coatesville, Pa., has an impressive list of scholarship offers, including Arkansas, Michigan State, Stanford, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Northwestern, Stanford and Rutgers.
He and his brother, Avery, a cornerback who signed with Rutgers in February, have visited Nebraska, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Syracuse, Toledo, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Army over the last two years.
Anthony Young was astonished by what Arkansas had to offer, facilities wise.
“Probably the biggest highlight was the facilities,” Anthony Young said. “I was in shock. I was pleasantly shocked. From the stadium to all of the athletic facilities from the dining hall to the Jones Center and the academic support, all that blew me away. I actually thought their facilities were just as good, if not better than Nebraska,and they had just done a recent renovation at Nebraska — the weight room and stuff.
“I thought the campus was better. I thought the campus was beautiful and perfect. I like walkable campuses where I can get from one end to the other if I have to.”
He was surprised to learn Coach Chad Morris is in the process of doing some cosmetic changes to some of the facilities.
“He likes a lot of light,” he said. “He likes things to be light. The player lounge, the locker room, he kind of thought was too dark ... and he wanted it to be lighter and the area feel bigger and brighter. I think they’ve already started renovating those rooms.”
It appears Morris is about to make an addition to the facilities.
“I guess someone on the team does a nice job with music, and he said he’s going have like a mini music studio,” Anthony Young said. “That’s something he wanted to do, and I thought it was a great idea.”
“Instead of playing Xbox, I’m in a music studio. I think it’s awesome that he’s going to put his stamp on them.”
Anthony Young was inducted into the Temple Hall of Fame. He starred as a defensive back for Temple from 1981-1984 and still holds seven school records. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in third round of the 1985 NFL Draft and played one season before tackling former Razorback Bobby Joe Edmonds and injuring his neck forced him to give up football.
He noticed every men’s and women’s sports having their own facilities.
“They don’t have to share a lot of space — which is perfect,” he said.
The Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-athlete Success Center along with the supplemental instruction support impressed the elder Young.
“A lot of times you come to these universities and they have these big lecture halls and you get lost,” he said. “I know I got lost in the ones I had, but to have the support there — I think they call it the SI, and folks that have taken that class will come and spend some time with you and help you get through this big lecture hall.”
Arkansas’ focus on academics and support set up the athletes to graduate.
“You have everything you need to succeed and then some the way they have it set up."
He said the coaching staff was “phenomenal.” He and Aaron spent a lot of time with Traylor and had the opportunity to be in the meeting room with Traylor and the running backs.
“He’s a do-the-right-thing man,” Anthony Young said. “He’s an honest, God-fearing and straight shooter, and you love that because you get a good feel for him and for Coach Morris and being the Christians they are. If I’m going to trust my son and hand him over, I know he’s going to be taken care of.”
Anthony Young praised offensive graduate assistant Ty Gaston, who took the Youngs on a tour of the campus.
“He talked about some of the nuances of the city and the area,” he said. “He’s very knowledgable even though he hadn’t been there that long.
“Good trip, good trip, one of my favorites."