As his teammates went through their first workouts of spring drills without him, injured Hurricanes cornerback Malek Young could do little more than watch and provide some encouragement from the sidelines.
But his presence there — and after practice, as he talked with some of those same teammates — seemed to provide an emotional lift for both Young and the rest of the Hurricanes.
Maybe there was a little player-to-player guidance, too.
Young, a former standout at Coconut Creek High, injured his neck in Miami’s season-ending 34-24 loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.