How Oklahoma State football signee Carl'Veon Young went from unknown LB to 4-star prospect
Scott WrightThe Oklahoman
MIDWEST CITY — Last winter, as he met with Mike Dunn after his junior season at Carl Albert, Carl’Veon Young listened to the plans his coach had for him in his final year of high school football.
“If you will do these things, you’re gonna affect this team in a big, big way,” Dunn said. “The sky is the limit for you.
“All these college coaches are gonna come in here to see the guys they know about, then they’re gonna see you and they’re gonna say, ‘Who is that?’”
But for the plan to work, Young had to follow it fully — weight room, speed work, off-the-field intangibles.
Young followed the plan and proved Dunn’s predictions correct several times over the last few months — never more than the morning of Dec. 4, when Young signed with Oklahoma State, completing his leap from unheard-of player to four-star recruit.
“Everything has happened fast for me, because my offer came a little late,” Young said. “I knew eventually I would get the offer, but it went fast. It’s a lot to take in.”
While his offer, commitment and signing all happened in the span of a few weeks, the process to get there was anything but fast.
It began last winter in the weight room. The 6-foot-4 Young began the process of bulking up from 195 pounds to his current weight of 215.
“My focus heading into my senior year was just lifting hard in the weight room,” Young said. “I ran track last spring to get better with my speed and explosiveness. That has helped me a lot this season.”
After that, he dialed in on the football player he needed to be, showing his versatility and athletic skills when college scouts showed up to the Titans’ spring practices to recruit the team’s other Division I prospects.
And like Dunn predicted, many of them came away wondering, “Who is No. 23?”
But those recruiters also hit the same roadblock. They needed to see more game tape.
Young, who had moved to Carl Albert from Newcastle prior to his junior year, had been injured for significant portions of the 2023 season. He had primarily played safety, but his body development suggested he was on his way to being a linebacker.
So the buzz was there for the recruiters, but they needed to see Young in action on Friday nights.
“We got through our first seven games and he made a mid-year highlight film,” Dunn said. “We sent it out on Monday to about 15 schools that recruit this area and that we have relationships with. Five or six of them got back immediately.
“Justin Gordon at Oklahoma State said he was gonna send it up the pipeline.”
Gordon, a prospect analyst for the Cowboys, did just that, and by Friday, Young had an OSU offer.
Less than a week later, Young committed to the Cowboys.
At the time, the national recruiting websites knew nothing about him, so he had no stars and no rating in their systems.
After his commitment and their review of him, Young jumped immediately to a three-star prospect. A few weeks later, 247Sports added a fourth star — making him the highest rated recruit in OSU’s signing class.
Entering the Titans’ state championship matchup, Young had 62 tackles with 10 for loss, plus two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble — and he did that primarily playing as a safety who often ends up in coverage.
Athletes with his size and versatility are hard to come by, and as the Cowboys adjust their defense to fit newly hired coordinator Todd Grantham, someone like Young could fit a lot of roles.
“He eats up space and he tackles well,” Dunn said. “He’s explosive, he’s fast, he’s long and rangy. He’s kind of a defensive coach’s dream because he’s very versatile. At the next level, he could be a safety or he could be a linebacker. He’s got the frame to where he could put on 25 pounds and be 240.”
While Young had to be patient to get his college football opportunity, it paid off, and he’s ready for what awaits.
“I just want to be able to play,” Young said. “They told me I’ll be a big part of rebuilding this team. That’s what I’m really focused on. Just getting better. Being able to play at OSU is exciting.”
