Richard Young will get another opportunity to lead Colorado's backfield Saturday at Arizona State after making the most of his first start for the Buffaloes.
Deion Sanders confirmed Tuesday that Young will start his second straight game after a 120-yard, two-touchdown performance in Colorado's 27-24 overtime win over Kansas State. The Alabama transfer carried 24 times after receiving no more than eight rushing attempts in any previous game this season.
"The more carries that I was getting, the more hungry I was getting," Young said Tuesday.
Young's patience leads to a larger role
Young's opportunity expanded following an injury to Micah Welch. His performance made him Colorado's second 100-yard rusher during Sanders' four seasons, joining Welch, who reached the mark against Weber State
earlier this year.
Sanders credited Young for continuing to work through limited playing time and said the fourth-year running back never had a "pity party."
"He hadn't got his opportunity, a true opportunity, and he got it," Sanders said. "And that's the most touches he’s ever had in a college football game. So he proved that he's more than worthy."
Back on the @CUBuffsFootball beat today as #CoachPrime @DeionSanders held his weekly press conference along with Buffs’ DE Yamil Talib, RB Richard Young and DB Ben Finneseth. CU hits the road for a @Big12Conference clash against Arizona State on Saturday. #GoBuffs #SkoBuffs pic.twitter.com/VmTBVfsRP2
— Michael Lyle, Jr. 🎧🎙 (@LyleMultimedia) November 3, 2026
Young arrived with a recruiting resume that included ESPN's No. 22 national ranking in the 2023 class. Nick Saban signed him at Alabama, where Young received 23 carries during the entire 2025 season.
Asked whether something changed in practice last week, Sanders said he had seen Young's ability "from the beginning."
"Sooner or later you gotta say, 'He's in,’" Sanders said.
Colorado gets help for Isaac Wilson
Young's production helped quarterback Isaac Wilson complete his first interception-free start after throwing seven interceptions across his previous three starts.
Colorado enters Saturday at 3-5, with Young's second start offering an opportunity to build on a rushing performance that helped end a five-game losing streak. His workload against Arizona State will show how prominently the Buffaloes plan to feature him throughout November.
Follow James Carnes on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Richard Young keeps Colorado football’s starting running back job
