N.C. kicker grateful for WVU scholarship, mom’s confidence

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — From the time Jonn Young kicked a 50-yard field goal as a freshman, his mom became convinced he could earn a college scholarship.

Nowadays the Mocksville, N.C., prospect said he features 60-plus range, the kind of power leg West Virginia assistant Joe DeForest relishes. Ever since the Mountaineers extended a scholarship last fall, Young figured he was bound for Morgantown and this week’s verbal commitment sealed his outcome.

“I had a lot of looks from a lot of schools, but West Virginia was the one that felt right for me,” he told MetroNews “Sportsline” on Thursday night. “It was a stressful process. I couldn’t imagine being a five-star quarterback and having 20 different options. I just feel so relieved now that I’ve committed.”

Schools such as Georgia, Clemson and Duke were slow-playing their recruitment of Young, a typical timeline when it comes to signing kickers. The two-star Rivals prospect also visited LSU, Penn State and North Carolina where coaches flashed wait-and-see interest—nothing comparable to the attention WVU showed.

“Going off to all these camps, it costs a lot of money, so I’m kind of paying my mom back by not making her pay for college,” he said.

The 6-foot Young described himself a fan of the Mountaineers ever since taking in the Gator Bowl loss to Florida State that capped the 2009 season. By the time he suits up in 2016, he figures to compete for the punting job vacated by Nick O’Toole and serve as the place-kicking understudy to Josh Lambert.

“I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do,” he said.

Watch Young’s appearance on “Sportsline” above, including his reaction to meeting Mountaineers linebacker Jared Barber, another player from Davie High School.