Tyler Young, the Carleton Ravens fearsome right tackle, has been protecting the Ravens quarterbacks since the re-inauguration of the program in 2013. A local kid through-and-through, he graduated from Sacred Heart High School, stepping right onto the Ravens offensive line, and establishing himself as one of the premier linemen in Ontario University Athletics (OUA).

After five years on the team, Young is graduating with a degree in criminology and has recently signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Redblacks.

“It’s going to be a huge transition,” he said. “The strength, the size, the speed and even the knowledge of the game is [higher], so there’s a lot of preparation to go in before [training] camp.”

He added that there are noticeable differences in speed and strength from the defensive lines at the professional level, specifically with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) graduates who come up from the United States in order to continue their football career.

Young will be stepping into a new system with the Redblacks, especially at the offensive line with the hiring of John McDonell, the long-time Washington State offensive line coach, and more recently, the senior offensive analyst at Georgia State University.

Despite the lack of accolades for linemen, they are responsible for protecting the ball, either by creating holes in the defence to allow a running back to run through into the defence or to allow the quarterback time to make a play in order to move the football.

The challenge of moving up to the next level is not lost on Young, who at 6’7” and around 300 lbs, knows that he will be going from one of the biggest players in U Sports to a more average size when compared to Canadian Football League (CFL) linemen.

His big challenge will be fitting into a new offensive system with the Redblacks, in which he anticipates having to change his technique to match up to his new teammates.

But, Young said he anticipates the transition to not be quite as difficult as many athletes coming from U Sports and the NCAA to the professional level have described it as being. As a local kid, he said that leaning on family and the familiarity of his hometown of Stittsville, Ont. will help keep him on the right track.

Playing for the hometown crowd in the CFL is one of the big highlights for Young, who said that signing with his hometeam has been the best part about continuing his football career.

“It’s just awesome, I can’t wait to be able to play in front of the hometown crowd,” he said.

Young said he will miss his teammates and the coaching staff the most as he moves on in his career. Several key moments on the field will always have significance for him when he reflects back on his time with the Ravens.

“Every season had its own highlight, but of course the Panda Games have been exciting for Carleton, the OUA semi-finals were a big moment, having been part of the rebirth of Carleton football, and then finally the phone call to play professional football as well,” he said.

Young helped the team win four consecutive Panda Game wins and two OUA semi-final appearences.

Young will now take on the tough job of attempting to crack the Redblacks roster starting with training camp in May. Along with Young, there are 14 other players from across Canada and the United States who will be competing alongside the Ottawa native for a spot on the field. If he is able to make the team, Young will be the first modern-era Raven to play for the Ottawa Redblacks.

-with files from Michael Sun

Photo by Meagan Casalino