Former Tennessee Vols standout involved in pregame squabble with former Georgia star before playoff game between Eagles and Rams
Former Tennessee Vols edge rusher Byron Young was front and center on Sunday afternoon during a pregame altercation that involved his Los Angeles Rams teammate, edge rusher Jared Verse, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Young and Verse were taking a lap around Lincoln Financial Field, while taunting Eagles fans, when they were approached […]
Former Tennessee Vols edge rusher Byron Young was front and center on Sunday afternoon during a pregame altercation that involved his Los Angeles Rams teammate, edge rusher Jared Verse, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Young and Verse were taking a lap around Lincoln Financial Field, while taunting Eagles fans, when they were approached by Carter, a former Georgia Bulldogs star.
Carter appeared to ask Verse if he wanted to place a wager on the game between the Eagles and the Rams.
Verse declined to accept the wager.
Jared Verse almost played for the Tennessee Volunteers
Verse, a former Florida State pass rusher who is in his rookie season, was nearly teammates with Young in 2022 at Tennessee.
The Vols heavily pursued Verse as a transfer addition (Verse transferred from Albany to Florida State ahead of the 2022 season), but they weren't able to close the deal.
Before the 2024 season, Young referenced Verse's visit to Tennessee.
"I met Jared at Tennessee," said Young during Rams OTAs. "He came down there and I was really hoping he [was going] to transfer to the school. That's when he was in the portal. But he ended up going to Florida State, but I met him one time, it was 2021 going into 2022. And we were hoping to get him, but we're teammates now so it all worked out."
Tennessee had a great team in 2022 — the Vols finished 11-2 with a win against Clemson in the Orange Bowl — but they came up just short of reaching the four-team College Football Playoff. Maybe Verse would've been the missing piece that put the Vols over the top that season.
As for Young and Verse, I guess they were just destined to play with each other at some point. And that feels appropriate considering they were both underlooked prospects coming out of high school that had to start their careers at small colleges before eventually finding their way to the NFL where they've both quickly become impact players.
