Big Red Diary: Dreu Young

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By BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Dreu Young is a 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end from Cozad. He caught a 27-yard pass Saturday that set up a touchdown in Nebraska’s 38-9 victory over Arkansas State. It marked the first catch of the season for Young, who missed the first game while still recovering from a back injury. His back surgery two days before fall camp begins his Tuesday discussion with the Journal Star’s Brian Rosenthal.

“I’m 100 percent now. I’ve got to get a little bit of my flexibility and speed back. But other than that, I feel all right. It just kind of felt like I had a hamstring strain kind of all summer. But when I’d warm up, stretch out, I’d feel fine. One day running, I made a cut, and after that I pretty much couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t sit up, I couldn’t stand up. They tried pretty much everything they could to not have surgery but nothing really worked, so surgery was the last option. We’d figure we’d get it done as quick as we could so I could be back as soon as possible.

“The competition we have as a (tight end) group is awesome. As a player you always want to have that competition, coaching each other to get better. We’re really all complements of each other, I’d say. We all have things that we’re good at and some of us are better at different things. I wouldn’t be worried about putting any single person in there if something would happen to somebody or a couple of us. We wouldn’t lose a step throwing anybody in there. The five of us are pretty much ready to go.

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Dreu Young (Jacob Hannah / Lincoln Journal Star)

Dreu Young (Jacob Hannah / Lincoln Journal Star)

“There are four of us we call ‘The Crew,’ Mike McNeill, Mike Smith, Keith Williams and I. We’re kind of the group all the coaches and all the players know as the group that always hangs out. We like to go golf and stuff, play video games, go to movies a lot, hang out with girlfriends and our families when they all come into town. They’ve all been back to Cozad. It’s a big difference for them. Keith Williams actually really likes going to Cozad. He likes going hunting with me and stuff. Smitty, I don’t think he can really shoot anything because he has too soft a heart. And McNeill, he can’t get up that early. He went out with us one morning and he slept in the stand the whole time.

“Keith likes to go back and go hunting and the other guys just like to go back and get away, go eat some of Mom’s meals and stuff. My mom’s actually a really good cook. I’d say my favorite meal is when she makes like ham and cheesy potatoes, or what she makes around Thanksgiving. She can cook everything, and my dad, anything that has to do with like steaks and meat, he’s a pretty good cook, too.

“I hunt everything, but Keith has gone back and hunted deer and turkey with me. He’s actually a really good shot. We actually call him ‘Sniper.’ I don’t think he’s missed a shot yet. First time he shot a gun, he shot a deer from 300 yards, perfect shot. Next year, we let him shoot another one and he shot another one from 250 yards, perfect shot.

“Keith is definitely the worst golfer, and then the best? It kind of depends. Mike, Mike and I are pretty much the same. I mean, we’re not great but we’re good enough to at least be competitive with each other.

“My dad was a big Reds fan, so I watched them growing up, but I’m more of a Red Sox fan. I think he just liked Johnny Bench. He just followed the Big Red Machine. All through high school I tried to get our team to wear these hats (takes a red hat with a ‘C’ off his head) and they never did. And this year, they got them.”