LEXINGTON, Ky. – The fans have spoken and University of Kentucky junior offensive tackle has been voted captain of the 2019 Allstate AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Good Works Team®.
Young was named a member of the team in September for his volunteer work in the community and abroad. Of the 22 total Good Works Team members, Young received the honor of being named Good Works Team® captain through fan voting that took place throughout the season at ESPN.com/Allstate.
For 28 years, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team has highlighted the inspiring stories of selflessness demonstrated by college football players across the country who have dedicated their lives to positively impacting the world around them. The 2019 Good Works Team consisted of a final roster of 22 award recipients and one honorary head coach – 11 players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA – that were selected from this year’s 169 nominees.
Young is Kentucky’s 15th player to be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the school’s first to be named Good Works Team® captain in the history of the program.
Fans can tune in to see Young recognized as Good Works Team® captain during the live broadcast of The Home Depot College Football Awards Show airing on ESPN on Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m. ET.
Young, also a member of the Southeastern Conference Community Service team, is one of the leaders for Kentucky football in terms of community service hours. He’s a player that can always be counted on to volunteer and give back to his community. Here are just a few of his service projects:
- Has visited a local nursing home several times, including a pre-Super Bowl party to give joy to the residents
- Guest speaker at local churches and elementary schools on seven different occasions, talking about life lessons, fighting through adversities, faith and football
- Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
- Volunteered at Kentucky Children’s Hospital to visit patients and lift their spirits
- Helped decorate Lexington’s Hope Center – a recovery program for women, with Christmas decorations
- Volunteered with Lexington Christian Church to do yard work for members not physically able to take care of their yard
- As an animal science major, has volunteered his time for eight straight years at a veterinary clinic in Cynthiana, Kentucky
- Participated in a one-week service trip to the Ethiopia in May of 2019 where he helped delivered essential nutrition, supplies, hope and love to families living in Korah, a slum made up of all the trash accumulated in Addis Ababa … Visited an orphanage with approximately 80 children and took teenagers from Korah to play arcade games and see the Avengers movie. The teens had never been out of their village, been in a movie theatre or even seen a movie … Paired with a feeding program that supplies meals to government schools in Cherkos, a poorer region in Addis Ababa. The program began as a result of kids fainting and lack of focus in the classroom due to malnutrition at home, often missing breakfast in the morning and at night only leaving them with one meal per day … Helped served meals to the kids during lunch and played in the schoolyard during recess.
Young will join his fellow Allstate AFCA Good Works Team members in New Orleans ahead of the 2020 Allstate® Sugar Bowl® and participate in a special volunteer project to refurbish Einstein Charter School. Young and the team will also be honored on the field at halftime during the game on Jan. 1, 2020.
Fans are encouraged to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to learn more about this year’s team members and their extensive community service efforts.
Release from UK Athletics
