Carolina Panthers move CB Lou Young ‘from JV to varsity’

When the Carolina Panthers promoted cornerback Lou Young to the active roster from the practice squad on Tuesday, it took Young back to his days in high school at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md.

“It’s like high school going from JV to varsity once the JV season is over,” Young said. “I’m excited. It’s time to move up to varsity.”

Young got the call Tuesday after a spate of injuries in Carolina’s defensive backfield forced the Panthers to add the first-year player to the 53-man roster.

At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Young considered himself a scrappy cornerback who likes to be physical with receivers. The Panthers are looking at him more as a nickel corner behind Cortland Finnegan, but they would slide him outside in a pinch.

“You watch the way he practices and the picture he gives for our offense (on scout team defense), and you know he’s trying to get better. That’s always a huge plus,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “When you get an opportunity to reward young players who are doing things the right way, you should.”

It’s unclear whether Young will be active for Carolina’s postseason game on Jan. 17, but he’s on an active roster for the first time in his career. Undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2014, Young was on the practice squads in Baltimore and Jacksonville before coming to Carolina late in the 2014 season.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers move CB Lou Young ‘from JV to varsity’."