A freshman All-American, this UD football transfer hopes to close career 'with a bang'

Joshua Youngblood had a spectacular start to his college football career in 2019.

Five seasons later and with only a few highlights since, the transfer wide receiver/returnman hopes to finish it with some fanfare as a Blue Hen.

In the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Youngblood, No. 22-ranked Delaware certainly has a candidate capable of contributing to its offensive firepower when the 2023 season kicks off at Stony Brook on Aug. 31.

“I’m definitely trying to finish my career as a champion,” Youngblood said Monday. “That’s my goal.

“It was kind of a rough patch the last couple seasons, but I’m blessed just to be here. This school has great tradition and it’s a winning atmosphere. Coach [Ryan] Carty’s very driven. I love being around him so I want to go out with a bang.”

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Youngblood came to Delaware as a graduate transfer after two seasons at Rutgers, where he played in 18 games, including one against Delaware, and started six despite battling hamstring injuries. Youngblood caught 12 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown and returned 13 kicks for 285 yards for the Scarlet Knights.But it was at Kansas State before that where Youngblood earned national notice.

As a freshman in 2019, he ran back three kick-offs for touchdowns – something nobody else did in Division I that fall – while earning All-American recognition. Youngblood also caught nine passes for 73 yards and ran the football 11 times for 55 yards and a touchdown while appearing in all 13 games and starting three at wide receiver.

But he played in just two games and then elected to transfer in October of 2020, eventually ditching Kansas State for Rutgers.

“It just wasn’t the right fit for me so I just decided to go to Rutgers,” Younglood said. “Coach [Greg] Schiano coached me in high school so that’s how that connection came about.”

The Tampa, Florida, resident had been a highly sought-after recruit out of Berkeley Prep, where Schiano coached. He played several positions there, including quarterback, while rushing for 2,221 yards and 26 touchdowns his last two seasons, throwing for 1,000-plus yards and also piling up yardage as a receiver and returnman.

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“Josh has done a really nice job these first seven practices,” Delaware wide receivers coach Terence Archer said. “He got up here at the end of the summer so he’s still learning the system a little bit but he’s picked it up very quickly.”

Youngblood had other choices, but Delaware was an appealing destination partially because of his familiarity with UD running backs coach Andrew Pierce. The former UD running back was on the Rutgers offensive staff in 2020 and 2021.

“That’s a big part of why I’m here,” Youngblood said, “knowing somebody who I trust.”

In addition to being a target in Delaware’s pass-oriented spread offense, Youngblood will factor into the Hens’ return game as well, “doing anything to help the team win,” he said.

“It’s great that he’s here,” Archer said. “I think he’s gonna have an impact on our season this year. We’re excited to have him and coach Pierce did a great job helping us get him here.”

Delaware lines up three receivers on most plays, sometimes more. The Blue Hens’ uptempo style also dictates the need for depth at the position.

There are 16 wide receivers on the roster and it’s a busy position area at UD practices.

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“You worry about guys getting worn out with the amount of throwing the ball that we do with deep routes,” Archer said. “You don’t want guys getting worn out during camp so I’m glad we have the numbers we do.”

What coaches want to see in their wideouts, Archer said, “are guys who can be explosive playmakers with the ball in their hands. We want guys who we can get the ball to quickly and can make guys miss in space and who can run and go score touchdowns for us. I think we have a group of guys who can do that.”

One of them is Youngblood.

“He’s a strong receiver,” Archer said. “Can get open one-on-one, also very good with the ball in his hands. … We’re happy with what he’s done so far.”

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ex-Kansas State and Rutgers player Joshua Youngblood now at Delaware