Byron Young left Tennessee early to pursue his NFL dreams, but that didn't mean abandoning his pursuit of a degree.
The Rams outside linebacker fulfilled that promise by graduating from the University of Tennessee, participating in a commencement ceremony with the College of Communication and Information on Friday night at Food City Center in Knoxville.
In doing so, he also became a first-generation college graduate.
"Graduating from college and being the first in my family to do that, coming from where I came from, means a lot," Young told Bill Martin in a story published on the University of Tennessee Athletics website. "It's one of my biggest accomplishments, honestly probably No. 1 because for years you felt like you couldn't do it or doubted myself. I had to believe in myself and take advantage of this opportunity. It truly means everything."
Young also told UT Athletics that not only was it important to him to return to finish his degree, but it was "mandatory" – even after achieving his dream of reaching the NFL.
The reason why, he explained further, ties back to an early chapter of his journey.
A non-qualifier academically coming out of high school, Young admitted he "basically took education for granted" during that time. After high school, he moved from his native Carvers Bay, South Carolina to the Columbus, Georgia area, where he worked as an assistant manager at Dollar General for about a year and a half before successfully trying out for junior college program Georgia Military College (GMC).
Once he got to GMC, and had another shot at college, he took his education seriously. Young said he always kept above a 3.0 GPA while he was at the school. He then landed at Tennessee in 2021 despite not receiving any Power Five scholarship offers until late fall 2020, with that academic motivation carrying over to Knoxville as well as a communication studies major.
It's always been important to Young to show that he's more than an athlete – more than just the numbers he produces on the field. To that end, it made Sunday's experience that much more meaningful to him.
If you had a mission you felt that personal about, it would be mandatory for you, too.
"I always tell people, the hardest thing for me, just in general, is how people view me as 'just an athlete,'" Young said. "They look at me and, 'Oh, you're just athletes,' and I'm more than that. I'm more than that, and I really take pride in that. So that was something that is off my shoulders (now). I always wanted to be more than just, 'Oh, you're just a guy that could run, you're fast, you get sacks.' I'm more than that, and that's something that always bothered me, and weighed on my shoulders. So getting this degree, and being able to share moments like that with my brother that came, it was amazing. It was really an emotional time for me, and the support, it was everything, so I really appreciate him showing up for me."
