Youri Yenga Euless Trinity

[HFvictory]

From DMN:

Euless Trinity DE Yenga quite a catch for local college

Euless Trinity senior DE Youri Yenga has emerged as one of the area's top defensive players this season. Yenga seems to lead Trinity in tackles and big defensive plays every game.

Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver said Yenga's big season has put him on the radar of college recruiters. Lineweaver said, however, that Yenga is looking to sign with a local college, such as North Texas, SMU or TCU.

Yenga would be quite a catch for one of the local schools. He came to Trinity as a sophomore and football was new to him and he's come a long way in three seasons. Yenga has a lot of up-side to him. He'll need to fill out -- he's a 'tweener at 6-1, 210 -- but he's a heck of a tackler.

Lineweaver said Yenga needs to stay close to home "because he's the dad of the family." Lineweaver said Yenga's father still lives in Africa and Yenga helps take care of his mother and sister. His sister just recently moved to the U.S.

Lineweaver said Yenga really came on last season in the playoffs as Trinity went on to win the Class 5A Division I title. Lineweaver said he was even better last spring.

"We couldn't block him in practice," Lineweaver said.

And that's saying a lot considering the size and talent of Trinity's offensive line.

[PonyPride]

No offers yet, per rivals. I've got to think, based on his size, that he's a LB in college.

[Horseshoe]

Word I'm hearing is that this guy is moving up the wish list. Stay tuned.

[Recruiting Guru]

Here's a guy I really like - he's on most short lists of "diamond in the rough" guys. For what it's worth, I've been told he's up to 6-foot-2 now, and last I heard he weighed in at 215, but I haven't seen him in person in a couple of months, so it's hard to say. He's very raw, because he's only played football for a few years. He was born in Africa and started his athletic career on the basketball court, not the football field. He's undersized for a defensive end, but everyone I've talked to seems to think he's going to grow more, perhaps a lot more. He's pretty strong for his size, but he's still pretty thin, but has wide shoulders and big feet, and very long arms. That doesn't always mean a guy is going to get significantly bigger, but it's usually a pretty good indication. Looks a little big like a smaller version of Jevon Kearse, who was recruited to Florida as a safety, but kept moving forward as he grew taller and filled our his frame until he became a prolific defensive end. No, that's not saying Yenga is another Kearse, but he has a similar frame. I would assume that he doesn't start out as a defensive end, but if he redshirts and continues to grow during his redshirt year, he might. Depends on who signs him, and what kind of defense that team uses. He looks like a very high-motor guy who goes 100 MPH on every play, and everything I've heard is that he's the same way in practice and in the weight room, not to mention in the classroom, where he's an excellent student. Yenga's size and relative inexperience will make a lot of schools overlook him, but the guy can play, and he has as much potential for growth and improvement as any player I know of. He's a guy who will get several offers after he gets his first, as some coaches seem hesitant to be the first to offer an undersized guy who is still relatively new to the game. Whether that potential pans out remains to be seen (he's got to hit the weights hard for a year or two as he grows into his body and works on his technique and knowledge of the game, as his performance at Trinity has been largely a result of him playing off instinct and raw athletic ability), but this is a guy who is worth a chance, and has a great chance to make a lot of teams regret passing him over.

[PonyPride]

Thanks for the reports, Guru -- where have you been? (It's not like you're busy at this time of year or anything.... ). I'll try to contain my dreams of a Freak (Kearse) clone if he signs with us.

[mavsrage311]

this is the type of player SMU needs to go after, the ones that get it done but for some reason the big schools dont want (Justin Willis, Justin Rogers, etc. etc.)

[Stallion]

Yenga was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 7 5A a very togh District

[WildHorse]

The more I read about this guy, the more I want to see him in RED AND BLUE!