Sidelined by injury, Kedren Young fuels his return with mental reps and an unyielding hunger to dominate the field. He's ready.
Spring practice is always loaded with breakout candidates and players who have the potential to be major contributors for Notre Dame come the fall. After last spring, running back Kedren Young looked like he'd be competing for a spot in the rotation alongside Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Young had a promising spring and had an opportunity to be Notre Dame's third down and short-yardage back in 2025. Unfortunately, an ACL injury suffered in August of last year sidelined him for the entire season. Now, Young is on the journey back and as he heads into month seven of the rehabilitation process, the Texas native is staying engaged and is hungry to get back out on the field.
"Watching my teammates play and taking mental reps," Young answered when asked how he remained engaged despite being on the sideline. "That's our biggest thing. My coach tells me to take mental reps from the players in the games and stuff like that. They're practicing right now. I'm still watching film. When I get back in, then I'll be fine. I'll be ready. That's the biggest thing."
It's been almost a year since Young has stepped foot on a football field in any capacity. We likely won't see him until fall camp, but his journey back has been smooth and he's right on schedule. When he gets cleared, Young is ready to make an immediate impact and is looking to put people on notice.
"I haven't played football in a long time now, so I want to get on the field," Young explained. "That's the first thing. I want to get on the field. Then just get back in the groove. I don't want to rush it because I'm getting back into it. As soon as I get on the field, I want to have that strong mentality. I want to just go at everybody. That's the biggest thing."
One of the hardest parts about injuries is when reality sets in and knowing that you won't be on the field for quite some time. For Young, that reality hit hard last season, but staying positive and being around his teammates kept him focused and ready to take on the road to recovery.
"Obviously, you want to play football," Young shared. "That's what we came out here to do. At times, the stuff I was doing, I'd be watching them practice. Obviously, I wanted to be out there. I learned to embrace the process and embrace the journey. I know I can be out there once I'm done and I'm ready. I've learned to embrace the process. It's been fun. Stay positive, and have a positive mindset. That's it."
The 5-11, 234-pound running back brings a wide skillset to the table. There's a thought that he'll only be Notre Dame's third down and short-yardage back when he's healthy. But there's a lot more depth to his game and the Lufkin, Texas native is ready to put that on display.
"I can be a good blocker as well," Young stated. "All of us can run the ball. We're running backs for a reason. But to play on Saturdays or to play on Sundays in the NFL, you've got to know how to block. You've got to block for the quarterback. I think before I was injured, I improved on my blocking very well. That's the biggest thing. Also, I can catch the ball and I can run routes as well. I'm a bigger guy, but I can still run routes; I can still move."
With the absence of Love and Price, the running back room in South Bend will likely be more of a committee this season than in previous years. It's a room loaded with talent with players like Aneyas Williams and Nolan James coming back and freshman Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne coming in. Young isn't able to be on the field right now, but come the fall, he's looking to make a big splash in the running back rotation.
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