Young named Iowa’s recipient of Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy
Iowa’s Devonte Young earned recognition for being a team-first player throughout his Hawkeye career.
Iowa defensive back Devonte Young makes a tackle during a game against Northwestern at Ryan Field on Saturday, October 26, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Wildcats 20-0. (Megan Nagorzanski/The Daily Iowan)
December 24, 2019
Aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt on Tuesday, senior defensive back Devonte Young was named Iowa’s recipient of the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy.
The award is an annual tradition at the Holiday Bowl and is given to one athlete from each team that “strives for team success and not personal triumph.”
Young has never started a game in his career, and last season saw a majority of his time come on special teams. Despite that, he stuck with the Iowa program.
“As I’ve been saying all season, I’ve always been here for this team,” Young said. “I’ve been doing this since day one, trying to give everything to the team, trying to give everything to Coach [Kirk] Ferentz… It just means everything that it’s being recognized.”
His moment came this season in the Iowa State game when he recovered the Iowa punt that bounced off of an Iowa State blocker’s back to save the Hawkeye win.
He has 10 total tackles this year with seven solo stops. He notched a career-high four tackles against Purdue on Oct. 19.
Young is from a military family. His parents are retired members. His twin brother just got out of the Marines, and his other brother is in the Air Force.
Even more so than honoring his immediate family, he was excited to experience the tour of the aircraft carrier with his extended family of teammates.
“This is my last ride, so just spending my last moments with my guys before I leave is a wonderful experience,” Young said.
