Tyler Younger

Physical Profile

Younger carries a long, high-cut frame at 6-4.5 to 6-5 with room to add 20-30 pounds without losing mobility, which is exactly the profile Alabama recruits for its bandit/Wolf hybrid role. His basketball background as a varsity power forward shows up in his hip flexibility, balance, and ability to redirect and tackle in space, and his tight end reps on offense point to functional hands and body control. Weight has already moved from 217 to roughly 230 over the recruiting cycle, so the frame is proving it can hold mass. The measurables are more raw than refined: there is no public verified 40 or wingspan, and the 220-pound listing on 247Sports means he is still light for a true 4-3 end at the SEC level.

Play Style

On film Younger is a long, upright edge who plays with relentless effort. He sets a firm edge with his hands, keeps his outside shoulder free, and sheds to make tackles rather than getting washed down the line. His best plays come in pursuit, chasing down runs from the backside and closing on ball carriers in space with the balance of a basketball player. As a rusher he is more of a length-and-motor player right now, using long arms to stack the tackle and reach the quarterback late rather than winning cleanly with a first step or bend. He also contributes as a receiving tight end, and that versatility is part of why Alabama views him as a hybrid rather than a pure hand-in-the-dirt end.

Strengths

• Length and frame at 6-5 with a projectable lower half; Alabama's staff explicitly sold player development because the physical ceiling is well above the current three-star grade.
• Motor and backside pursuit jump off the film; evaluators note he does not stay blocked and closes to the ball from the far side of the formation, which is why he projects to a Wolf/bandit role that asks for range as much as rush.
• Strength at the point of attack for his weight; he sets a physical edge and finishes tackles in space, and his 2.5-sack, 4.5+ TFL junior year came against a state-playoff schedule while also playing tight end.
• Multi-sport athleticism and a 3.8 GPA; the basketball footwork translates to change of direction, and the academic profile drew offers from Stanford and Boston College alongside the SEC.

Areas to Improve

• Pass-rush plan and hand usage are underdeveloped; the sack total is low for a 6-5 edge, and he wins now on effort and length rather than a defined counter or bend around the arc.
• Functional mass and anchor: at 220-230 he will need a full college strength cycle before holding up against SEC tackles on early downs.
• Consistency of production; 16 total tackles over 10 junior games is thin for a Power Four edge, so senior-year film needs to show week-to-week dominance rather than flashes.

College Projection

Expect a redshirt or limited-snap freshman year in 2027 while he adds mass, followed by rotational bandit/Wolf reps in years two and three. Alabama outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson, a Greater Atlanta Christian alumnus, recruited him with a development pitch rather than an early-playing-time pitch, which is an honest read of the timeline. If the frame fills out to 245-250 and the pass-rush toolbox catches up to the motor, he profiles as a multi-year starter on the edge by his third or fourth season. The floor is a high-effort rotational edge and special-teams contributor.

Best Fit

A multiple-front defense that uses a stand-up hybrid edge, which is precisely Alabama's bandit/Wolf role under Kane Wommack and Christian Robinson. He is a poor fit for a scheme that needs a 260-pound two-gapping end on day one, and a strong fit for one that values length, pursuit and coverage-capable edges and is willing to invest two years of strength development. Programs with a track record of turning long, raw three-star edges into starters maximize him; Alabama's outside linebacker room has that history.