Former Tennessee defensive end Byron Young was in junior college when he discovered there was another person with his name who was a high-level football player.

Young checked his Twitter account one Saturday night and found a message congratulating him on Alabama’s victory earlier that day. Turns out the compliment was directed at the “other” Byron Young, a defensive tackle with the Crimson Tide.

“A guy tagged me (on Twitter) instead of tagging him,” Young said. “I tweeted back and said ‘I appreciate it, but I think you’re referring to the Byron Young that plays at Alabama.’ So (he and the other Byron Young) started following each other after that. For us to both be playing on the D-line in the SEC at the same time, what are the chances?”

Two years after that first misidentification, the two Byron Youngs (Byrons Young?) are teammates in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. They’ll take the field together on Saturday at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium as part of the American team in the annual all-star game and NFL draft showcase.

The two have actually gotten to know each other fairly well since the 2022 season ended and the NFL draft process began. Young and Young are among several prospects working out together at EXOS Pro Sports Training Center in Gulf Breeze, Fla., about an hour away from Mobile.

“He’s a great dude,” Alabama’s Young said. “We’ve been training together for about three weeks, and getting to know him on a personal level has been great. It’s been good.”

Alabama’s Byron Young, from Laurel, Miss., was a four-year contributor for the Crimson Tide. He blossomed as a full-time starter in 2022, totaling 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on his way to first-team All-SEC accolades.

Young checked in at 6-foot-3 and 297 pounds in Monday’s Senior Bowl weigh-in, giving him ideal size for an NFL defensive tackle. He spent part of Tuesday’s first practice participating in one-on-one drills against offensive linemen, oftentimes his former teammates Emil Ekiyor and Tyler Steen.

“It’s fun,” Young said. “It’s something I had a chance to do at Alabama against Emil for four years and then Tyler last year (after Steen transferred in from Vanderbilt). … All the linemen really, there’s so much talent here. Everybody here is probably going to play in the NFL one day, so you really have to be at your best.”

Tennessee’s Byron Young — who grew up in Georgetown, S.C. — arrived in Knoxville in 2021 after two seasons at Georgia Military College. The 6-foot-2, 248-pound edge rusher made an immediate impact, leading the Volunteers both seasons in sacks (a total of 10.5) and tackles for loss (a total of 21.5).

Young was part of a breakthrough 2022 for the Volunteers, who enjoyed their best season in nearly two decades and finished 11-2. Included was a 52-49 victory over Alabama in Knoxville in October, giving Tennessee’s Byron Young eternal “Byron Young bragging rights.”

“It meant a lot to make history like that,” Tennessee’s Young said. “It had been so long since we beat them, 15 years. It was so big to be a part of that, breaking the streak and starting a new era.

“For us to be playing together now is just crazy. People get us confused so much, we just had to tell the coaches ‘I’m B.Y. and he’s Byron.”

The 2023 Reese Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, with television coverage via NFL Network. For ticket information, visit SeniorBowl.com/tickets.