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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Oak Mountain’s Noah Young (2) reacts in excitement as the Eagles come out with a win over Sparkman in the Class 7A boys Northeast Regional final game in February at Pete Mathews Coliseum in Jacksonville.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Young (2) brings the ball into the end zone fora touchdown during a game against Pelham on Aug. 28 at Heardmont Park.
For the immense athletic prowess Noah Young possesses, that’s not the first thing that comes to mind when people are asked about him.
Young is a 6-foot-4 standout foot-ball and basketball player at Oak Mountain High School. That’s typically enough to make most high school players one of the most popular students on campus.
But it’s Young’s vibrant and empathetic personality that makes the senior stand out above the rest.
“He’s got a level of emotional maturity you don’t often see in teenagers,” Oak Mountain football coach Cris Bell said.
Eagles basketball coach Chris Love has seen the effect Young has on people up close. Love’s son Luke graduated from Oak Mountain last year and played basketball with Young.
“The biggest compliment I can pay Noah is by what Luke would say about Noah, that Noah was one of the nicest guys he’s ever met and was always asking how Luke was doing when he was applying for college and stuff, when most other kids couldn’t care less about that for others,” Love said. “There are very few 16- to 17-year-olds who are having conversations like that with their friends and showing concern for them.”
That selfless nature translates into the competition arena as well, where Young has continued to show a willingness to improve at facets of his football and basketball game that are not always the flashiest.
Oak Mountain’s football team operates out of a run-based offense, meaning there are not nearly as many pass-catching opportunities for Young as there would be in other systems. When Young is not running routes, he is tasked with being a blocker on the outside.
“I accept my role for who I am because that’s what I can do to help my team,” Young said.
Young said Bell focuses as much on blocking well as he does running routes and catching passes.
“If you can’t block on the perimeter, you’re not getting in the game,” Young said.
However, in late September, Bell said his goal was to get Young more opportunities in the passing game as the year progressed, citing the advantages Young’s size and strength provide in the passing game.
“We’re at that point where it’s really starting to click across the board,” Bell said.
On the basketball court, Young helped the Eagles to their first state final four appearance last season. As the team’s starting power forward, he led the team in 3-point shooting percentage while also maintaining his status as one of the team’s best defenders and rebounders. Love said he was “under the radar” despite his production.
“This past year, he really grew with his understanding and how he can use his body and understanding how good he really is and how he can use that to his advantage around the rim. He did the same thing on the football field,” Love said.
Last year, Young was named honorable mention on the Starnes Media All-South Metro football and basketball teams. His current trajectory suggests there will be more significant accolades coming during his senior season, and Young said he hopes to play football in college. The football team is preparing for a playoff run, while the basketball team has high hopes yet again.
At the moment, the football post-season is on his mind. But to the surprise of no one, he’s thinking of the people around him as well.
“It would mean everything,” he said, of the possibility of a deep playoff run, “because I know my teammates work hard and do everything they can.”
