Player Career

Donovonn Young Career Story

Career story, signature performances, transfer context, and season arc are grouped for biography-style searches.

Player Story

Donovonn Young story

Donovonn Young built his college career from 2011 through 2014 as a running back from Houston, TX wearing No. 5, spending time with Illinois. The clearest part of Donovonn Young's career was his backfield work: 1,777 rushing yards, 405 carries, 18 rushing touchdowns, and 322 receiving yards across 48 career games in the available record. His largest box-score season came in 2012 with Illinois. Those numbers show where he fit, how often the ball or action found him, and how his role developed over time.

The value of the career arc is that it connects production to role, not just a name on a roster. His career also includes 322 receiving yards and 82 return yards, giving the story more than a single-category snapshot. With 48 career games in the available record, his career has enough shape to show both opportunity and production across Illinois.

The arc is straightforward: Donovonn Young moved through the depth chart, found a larger role, and turned that opportunity into production that can be understood through standard football numbers.

Career Arc

Track team changes, role shifts, and season-to-season movement.

  1. 1

    Illinois

    2011-2014

    Opening stop

Season Value Progression

201120112012201320142014
SeasonTeamPrimaryEfficiencyUsageDelta
2011 PostseasonIllinois46646.112.9
2011 Regular SeasonIllinois46646.112.90
2012 Regular SeasonIllinois74342.725.5277
2013 Regular SeasonIllinois41938.115.8-324
2014 PostseasonIllinois47142.516.652
2014 Regular SeasonIllinois47142.516.60

Signature Performances

Top Games

#1 Featured game

vs Indiana

Week 9 · L 17-31 · Conference game

Loss driven by a workhorse rushing load.

145

Scrimmage Yards

86.7 takeover

145 scrimmage yards and 34.7 usage.

#2

vs Western Michigan

Week 4 · W 23-20

105

Scrimmage Yards

79.1 takeover

Win with 105 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.

105 scrimmage yards and 18.8 usage.

#3

vs Penn State

Week 13 · W 16-14 · Conference game

74

Scrimmage Yards

77.7 takeover

Win with 74 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.

74 scrimmage yards and 30.2 usage.

#4

vs Miami (OH)

Week 5 · W 50-14

80

Scrimmage Yards

75.3 takeover

Win with 80 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.

80 scrimmage yards and 17.5 usage.

#5

@ Northwestern

Week 13 · L 14-50 · Conference game

86

Scrimmage Yards

74.7 takeover

Loss with 86 yards from scrimmage and efficient touch value.

86 scrimmage yards and 33.3 usage.

Top Seasons

#1 Season by Season Value

2012 Regular Season · Illinois

743 primary output · 42.7 efficiency · 25.5 usage

68.2

#2

2014 Postseason · Illinois

54.9

471 primary · 42.5 efficiency · 16.6 usage

#3

2014 Regular Season · Illinois

54.9

471 primary · 42.5 efficiency · 16.6 usage

Milestones

2

100+ rush yards

0

150+ scrimmage yards

2

2+ TD games