Youboty was born in
Monrovia, Liberia, the oldest of four children for Jeannet Waylee. After a civil war broke out in his native country, his family settled in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he attended
Girard College, a college-prep boarding school for single-parent kids and low-income families. Girard did not have a football team due to lack of insurance, so Youboty eventually joined the Wynnefield Hawks Football Club under the guidance of coach Wayne King. Youboty and his family eventually relocated to
Houston, Texas. He attended
Klein High School, where he returned to graduate with the class of 2003 after participating as an early winter enrollee at the
Ohio State University. As a freshman, he played football, basketball, and ran track. By the end of his freshman football season, he was moved up to the varsity football team, where he played
cornerback,
safety,
wide receiver, and returned kicks. As a three-year starter, he competed against many of Houston's most talented football players including Woodlands High School's
Danny Amendola. His first college-football scholarship offer came from
Nick Saban during the latter's tenure at
Louisiana State University but Youboty eventually signed to play for
Jim Tressel at the Ohio State University. ==College career==