Skip to main content
georgia logo

Georgia WR Colbie Young is fully reinstated per Kirby Smart

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•about 18 hours•

JakeMRowe

Colbie Young
Georgia wide receiver Colbie Young (8) during Georgia’s game against Auburn on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

ATHENS, Ga. — Colbie Young is fully reinstated to the Georgia football team, according to Kirby Smart. The 10th-year head coach made the announcement on Monday as the Bulldogs opened 2025 spring practice.

“Colbie is with us. He’s going to be practicing with us,” Smart said. “He’s cleared.”

Smart’s announcement confirms what many already knew. Young resolved his legal situation in late January, but the UGA Equal Opportunity Office had already cleared him before the end of the football season. That clearance allowed him to practice with the team, though he remained suspended from competition pending legal resolution.

Authorities originally charged Young with domestic battery and intent to cause harm to an unborn child in October. They later amended the first charge to disorderly conduct and dropped the second altogether. His alleged victim signed an affidavit stating that others had misrepresented the facts and that she no longer wished to press charges.

At the start of the season, Young entered his final year of eligibility and played in five games. In most seasons, his college career would have ended there.

However, in December, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors issued a blanket ruling granting former junior college players and those who had played at least one year at a “non-NCAA school” an extra year of eligibility. Young had spent two seasons at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. A federal judge’s decision to grant Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia an extra year prompted the NCAA’s ruling. Pavia had also spent time in the JUCO ranks.

Young transferred to Georgia in January 2024 and impressed during spring drills. He caught Georgia’s first touchdown of the season. He also recorded 11 receptions for 149 yards and two scores in the first five games.

Young’s most recent game as a Bulldog was his best. He caught three passes for 51 yards in a 31-13 win over Auburn. Before arriving at UGA, Young spent two seasons at Miami. There he caught 79 passes for 939 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Georgia’s offense and passing game struggled with Young on the field and even more so in his absence. The Bulldogs lacked a true X-receiver and a player capable of making contested catches. According to Pro Football Focus, the receiving corps led the nation in dropped passes.

You may also like