CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — “There’s nothing you can say negative about him,” Johnny Sowell, head football coach at Monroe High School, said. “When coaches come in, the first thing I say, ‘Can he do this, can he do that,’ and I say everything checks out.”
That’s why Jordan Young was named as one of Nike’s “Next Ones.”
“I was blessed to be able to have these talents,” Young said. “Just making my parents proud, my family proud, putting my school on the map.”
A rising senior at Monroe High School, Young will represent the Carolina Panthers at an elite combine hosted by Nike during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas. The combine will feature just 32 of the top high school players from across the country, each recognized as the top talent in their respective NFL markets.
Young says it feels good that his hard work doesn’t go unseen, and his mom is just as proud.
“I’m like, ‘Why Jordan, it could have been anyone,'” Young’s mom, Lashanda, said. “Like, I follow football. I follow North Carolina teams and all the schools and we have some talent here, a lot. And then, they picked Jordan? That’s special.”
The Panthers welcomed Jordan and his family, along with his coach, to Bank of America Stadium on Friday where he was met by Derrick Brown who gave him the full NFL treatment- a locker with his name on it and a personalized jersey, a taste of dreams that could soon be a reality.
“We don’t jump the gun, we just take it one step at a time. But he’s on track. He’s definitely on track,” Sowell said.
Young’s next steps, however, will be deciding where he wants to go to school and the two-way player who plays both wide receiver and safety for the Redhawks as multiple offers from top programs across the country, including Alabama, Notre Dame and Clemson.
“Always thinking about the future. This is the point I want to get to,” Young said about his dreams. “This is one step closer to this journey that I’m on and I’m truly blessed.”