2025 Football Roster
Zion Young
- Position:
- Defensive End
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-5 / 262
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Atlanta, Ga.
- High School:
- Westlake
- Prev School:
- Michigan State
Zion Young
- Paced the Tigers with 16.5 TFL (-83 yards, 13th nationally) paired with 6.5 sacks (58th nationally, 9th SEC)
- No. 24 defensive grade (85.0) nationally amongst edge rushers by PFF (3rd in SEC)
- 57 pressures on the year including sacks, QB hits and hurries, good for 12th nationally and second in the conference.
- Finished fourth in the country in QB hits with 17 (1st SEC)
- Selected as First Team All-SEC
- Candidate for the Hendricks Award, All-America and All-SEC honors
2025: Started all 13 games of the 2025 season… Totaled 42 total tackles (20 solo), 16.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups on the season … PFF rated him as the No. 47 pass-rushing edge in 2025 with a grade of 82.7 … Finished 28th among all edge players in PRP (10.7), which is PFF’s formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rush the passer … Credited with 32 quarterback hurries, 8 sacks and 17 QB hits by PFF … His win percentage of 17.4 in pass rush ranks 41st nationally, according to PFF … Earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors (9/22) for his performance in the SEC opener against South Carolina and then again following the Auburn game. Central Arkansas: In on two stops in the season opener. Kansas: Recorded his first sack of the season, two total tackles (one solo) and a quarterback hurry in the win over the rival Jayhawks. Louisiana: Made three total tackles (two solo), including a pair of TFLs in the win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. South Carolina: Made a season-high three tackles (all solo), including 2.0 TFL, a sack and a pair of quarterback hurries in the SEC opener against the Gamecocks … Was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (9/22) for his performance. UMass: Helped Mizzou limit the Minutemen to just 124 yards on just 55 snaps, including just 19 net rushing yards or 1.2 yards per rush and 105 pass yards … Young was second on the team with three tackles, including one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Alabama: Registered three tackles with two sacks (-16 yards) … Recovered a fumble, a pass breakup and was credited with a quarterback hurry by the official game stats … PFF also attributed Young with a QB hit as Alabama recorded season lows in total yards (325) and passing yards (200). Auburn: Earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance on the plains … Finished with five total tackles, including three solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss (-14 yards) and two sacks (-13 yards) … PFF credited him with two QB hurries … His emotional leadership was the difference in overtime, where he recorded one sack and another tackle for loss. Vanderbilt: Made two tackles with a solo stop and a quarterback hurry … helped Mizzou limit the Commodores to 265 total yards and just 136 rushing. Texas A&M: Led the Tigers with 1.5 TFL (-6 yards) … had three total tackles with a solo stop. Mississippi State: Made four tackles with two solo stops … credited with half a sack and two tackles for loss and two QB hurries. Oklahoma: Made five tackles … led defense with 2.0 TFL (-5 yards) … credited with a sack for a loss of four yards … tallied five hurries and a hit to amount to eight pressures. Arkansas: Made one tackle … picked up seven pressures, three QB hurries and four QB hits. Virginia: Closed collegiate career with a four-tackle outing … picked up 1.5 TFL and recorded a pair of hurries.
2024: SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll selection … started all 13 games … compiled 42 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, three PBUs, five QB pressures, one fumble recovery and one caused fumble … finished tied for third on the team in TFLs and sacks and seventh in tackles … registered 1+ tackle in 12 games and 3+ tackles on nine occasions, including a year-best seven stops against Vanderbilt … secured 1.0 TFL three times, including a season-high 2.0 versus Auburn … carded 1.0 sack in contests with Texas A&M and Auburn … notched one PBU against Boston College, Oklahoma, and Arkansas … logged one QB pressure on four occasions, including a year-high two against South Carolina … recorded one caused fumble against South Carolina, while lone fumble recovery occurred against Oklahoma … returned the fumble 17 yards for a TD … on the field for 532 snaps.
PRIOR TO MIZZOU: Two-year member of the football program at Michigan State (2022-23) ... 2023 Academic All-Big Ten selection … in 20 career games (11 starts), registered 47 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, and seven QB pressures … earned starts against Wisconsin and Michigan in 2022 and Central Michigan, Richmond, Washington, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Indiana, and Penn State in 2023 … posted 16 games with 1+ tackle and seven contests with 3+ tackles, including a career-best seven against Michigan in 2022 … posted 1.0 TFL on four occasions, including a career-high 2.0 against Richmond in 2023 … logged 1.0 sack twice, including a career-best 1.5 versus the Spiders in 2023 … tallied one QB pressure in five contests, including a career-high three against Maryland in 2023 … played 752 career snaps … lettered three years at Westlake under coach Bobby May … consensus three-star prospect by Rivals.com, ESPN.com and 247Sports.com … listed as the No. 103 and No. 169 prospect from the state of Georgia according to 247Sports.com and ESPN.com, respectively … carded as the No. 145 and No. 158 overall defensive tackle prospect according to 247Sports.com and ESPN.com, respectively … helped Westlake to a 30-9 three-year ledger with three state playoff appearances, including a semifinal showing in 2020 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2021 … earned first team all-region honors after tallying 108 tackles, 1.0 TFL and 7.5 sacks as a senior.
PERSONAL: Born March 18, 2004 ... son of Shirley Reese … majoring in general studies.
