Former Lafayette star, current Kentucky lineman Landon Young prepares for senior year

LEXINGTON , Ky (WTVQ) – From Lafayette High School to the University of Kentucky, Lexington’s own Landon Young has had some ups and down.

As a sophomore at Kentucky, he’d play in 13 games after starting tackle Cole Mosier went down in the off-season.  As a junior, it would young out for season.  He’d suffer a left knee injury a week before the home opener.

“When it first happened it was definitely like a big let down at first because that’s coming into your junior year,” said Young.  “You’re expected to do big things in your junior year. Like that’s a big, big year for any college football player.”

That year wouldn’t happen.  Young would spend it on the sidelines, but he made the most of it.

“I focused a lot on my faith and knew that God had a plan for that injury and had a plan for me that was bigger than I could ever see, but along with that it gave me the chance to study the game from a different perspective,” said Young. “It did give me a year in the weight room that let me really blossom my body in what it needed to be. At the end of the road, it’s what’s best for me.”

Young is right.  As a red-shirt junior, he would start in all 13 games and end the season named to the all-SEC team by Athlon sports.  Coming off that kind of year, young could’ve easily went to the NFL, but he chose to return for his senior year.

“It was sort of a combination of things. Not just did I want to finish out my years here, finish out what I came to UK to do, but have another year with Coach Schlarman and another year with the group of guys I came in with.”

He also wants to show that injury hasn’t slowed him down.

“I think a second year coming back off of that and being able to show what I can do and that I’m continuing to improve and that my knee isn’t an issue is something else that’s going to really help along as well.”

As Young prepares for his final season in solid blue, as a Kentuckian, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s the pride of just being here. It’s more than just playing for your home state. You’re going out there to represent a lot more things,” Young said. “You’re representing your family, your hometown. You’re representing your friends, your faith…you’re representing everything from here. Not just that, you want to represent that Kentucky guys can do it. Kentucky always gets a bad rep for not having athletes and not having really good football teams and stuff like that. We’re coming out there and showing that Kentucky boys can do it.”