This was a special year for the Roy Royals.
Roy High ended the season with 12 wins while reaching the state championship game for just the fourth time in its 59-year history. It was a season that meant a great deal to the community, and Swiss army knife Robert Young was excited to be one of the faces of this year’s Royals team. In its 12-2 year, Young was a tool that Roy head coach Chris Solomona knew he always had at his disposal. Whether it was offense, defense or special teams, Young was ready to make an impact.
“Rob just brings so much to a football program,” said Solomona. “We were so blessed and fortunate to have Rob these past three years and we’ve always known his potential. Each year since his sophomore year, he’s been our team MVP and much of that is because of what he’s able to bring in all three phases of the game.”
Young has always been a scoring threat for the Royals, with 11 touchdowns his sophomore year and eight his junior year; however, Roy’s offensive coordinator Connor McGuire knew what he had in Young and largely built the offense around it this season.
McGuire said Young’s football IQ and uncanny ability to memorize plays made him a huge asset.
“He just has a photographic memory for football,” said McGuire. “He hears the concept and idea one time, he’ll go out and know exactly what it is. That’s really cool to see because it’s pretty rare. There’s a lot of kids who struggle to learn the playbook and it takes two to three years to learn it all the way and it’s, for him, it’s this the day we go over it. It’s pretty special.”
Through this season, Young totaled 35 touchdowns with 2,340 all-purpose yards, while also providing 54 tackles and an interception on defense. Young also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns on only six total returns. Young led a strong Roy offense that averaged 39 points per game.
Young’s production and versatility ultimately gave him the edge in an incredibly tight race to earn the honor of being the Deseret News’ 2024 Mr. Football winner. Young is the 28th recipient of the award.
“I actually was in Oregon, out of town when I received the news,” Young said. “(Solomona) called me and said, ‘You won Mr. Football, they just texted me.’ I just went quiet, because I didn’t know what to say. Going into this year, I knew it was possible (to win Mr. Football). I told myself I was definitely going to win, because I have to be the best player in Utah.”
Punching a ticket to the state championship and winning Mr. Football were tough goals to accomplish, but at 5-foot-8, Young was eager to prove to everyone that he is as lethal as anyone. Young proved his worth in Roy’s offense, with 1,088 rushing yards for 18 rushing touchdowns, 54 receptions for 882 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, and two passing touchdowns.
“I wanted to keep proving to everybody that your size doesn’t really matter on the field,” Young said. “As long as you can make plays, you’ll probably be one of the best players on the field. I just want to play football the best way I can, so it doesn’t matter how big I am. I’ll always try my hardest every time.”
Solomona immediately knew what Young’s award means to the community, and noted it’s the first time a player north of Salt Lake County has received the award since 2010, which was awarded to Mountain Crest’s Alex Kuresa.
While previous Roy quarterback Jaxson Dart was named Mr. Football in 2020, he received it for his senior year at Corner Canyon. Young is now the first player to ever receive Mr. Football for Roy.
“I took tremendous pride as soon as I got that text message from (prep editor) James Edward,” Solomona said. “Mr. Football is the Heisman of high school football in Utah and being able to have coached and been around Rob is amazing. That award means the world to him, us, the school and the community. We’re honored Rob’s getting this award because it means a tremendous amount to all of us up north.”
Taking on the face of the program and representing the community was a task that Young was always up for, and while the ultimate championship goal came up short, it’ll be a season that Roy will remember for a long time.
“This year ... felt great,” said Young. “I just feel like this community helped me a lot because I just get a lot of love and support from the community and all the parents and friends.”
Young has not commited to a school yet, but he has recieved a D1 offer from Idaho State.
