Young attended Pine Crest School, playing tight end in football, defense in lacrosse, center on junior varsity basketball, and competed on the weight lifting team. After his freshmen season he transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He was moved to left tackle and did not allow a sack during his junior and senior years. He was a two-time Florida Class 5A All-state selection. He also practiced the discus throw and won the state title in the shot put, breaking a school record. In 2005, he was a Parade All-America first-team selection and received the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. Following his stellar high school football career, Young was invited to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
College career
Young accepted a football scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. He made history by becoming the first true freshman to start the season opener on the offensive line since freshmen became eligible in 1972. He was named 2006 first teamFreshman All-American by The Sporting News. As a sophomore, he started the first 2 games at right tackle, before being switched to the left side for the remaining 10 contests. The next year, he started 13 games at right tackle. As a senior, he started all 12 games at right tackle, helping the offense to finish fifth in the nation in passing and eighth in total offense, while averaging 30.1 points-per-game. In his college career, Young made 50 starts on the offensive line and all consecutive.
Young was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was active in three games of the 2010 season, contributing on special teams. He had a disappointing training camp in 2011, and was reportedly beaten often by defenders in practice. He was waived on September 5.
On September 6, 2011, he was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills. He appeared in 4 games and was declared inactive in 12 contests. In 2012, he played in 12 games with 4 inactive designations and 4 starts at right tackle in place of an injured Chris Hairston. On October 7, 2013, he was waived after appearing in four games with one inactive designation.
On October 8, 2013, the Jacksonville Jaguars claimed him off waivers and was active in 11 games, playing mainly on special teams. The next year, he played in 9 games, with 6 starts at right tackle and was declared inactive in 6 contests. In 2015, he appeared in 16 games, starting two at left tackle in place of an injured Luke Joeckel and one at right tackle in place of an injured Jermey Parnell.
On March 9, 2016, Young signed a one-year $910,000 contract with the Miami Dolphins. On September 3, he was released as part of final roster cuts. He was re-signed on October 11, 2016. On December 28, Young signed a one-year $1.15 million contract extension. He appeared in 8 games and made one start at left tackle because of injuries. In 2017, he played in 10 games, starting six at right tackle in place of the injured Ja'Wuan James. On March 23, 2018, Young re-signed with the Dolphins on a one-year contract.
Young signed with the San Francisco 49ers on August 12, 2019. He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019. He was re-signed on September 20, 2019. He was released on November 7.
