Following three seasons at Alabama, Richard Young wanted a change of scenery.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back found what he was looking for in Boulder.
“Definitely a restart,” Young said of transferring to Colorado to play for the Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders. “Coach Prime gave me a chance to show my ability, show what I can do and I’m always thankful for every opportunity I get, no matter what. I definitely feel like being here, I just gotta get better.”
Young is part of a rebuilt running back room for the Buffs, including Damian Henderson II and Jaquail Smith, who both came to CU from Sacramento State. Last year’s leading rusher, Micah Welch, is back, along with senior DeKalon Taylor.
All of them figure to get opportunities to run the ball.
“Well, we know itap enough for everybody to eat,” running backs coach Johnnie Mack said. “Thatap what we preach; hey, itap enough out here for everybody. You just got to do your job. How do you play without the ball? We preach that. So, for us, itap about playing selfless.”
Young is excited about the opportunity following his three seasons at Alabama. A four-star recruit coming out of Lehigh Senior (Florida) High School in 2023, Young had 234 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the Tide. He had 64 yards and two scores on 23 carries in 2025.
Despite the lack of playing time, Young is grateful for his time at Alabama.
“I learned a lot, just being there,” he said. “Itap a great program; I loved everything about it. They taught me just not to be soft; to be a man at the end of the day and I appreciate everything they’ve done for me to get where I am now.”
Once he entered the transfer portal, Young said he quickly was impressed with CU.
“It was just Coach Prime, the environment here, the players and the coaching staff,” he said. “The way they just come to you and love you, be there for you, support you and they just want the best out of you, so thatap why I took the chance here and I was like, this is the place where I want to be.”
Young is a big, physical back who adds power to the Buffs’ run game, but he’s working on all aspects of his game.
“I’d say I’m definitely a physical back. I have the speed also, catching also,” he said. “Just everything that comes with it little by little every day that I have to work on to get better with.”
New offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is installing his Go-Go offense, which is an up-tempo attack that relies on a strong run game. The Buffs have a versatile group of backs, too.
“We play with two backs; sometimes we play 21 personnel, 12 personnel,” Young said. “I just think that not only me but the other awesome running backs, too, we all fit into it, and we all have a mentality that when one eats we all eat. Even with just with my scheme of how I run the ball, I feel like I definitely fit in that.”
Whether Young has a lead role or not, he is excited for a bigger role than he had at Alabama – while also being eager to see his teammates do their thing.
“Honestly, for our group, we hold a standard in our group and everybody’s gotta do their part,” he said. “Itap not just one man, itap all of us together. One eats, we all gotta eat. We hold each other accountable on the little things we do wrong, and we gotta come the next day with a different mentality.”
