Alabama recruit Young ready for QB race
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – The hardest part of Bryce Young’s transition to the Southeastern Conference has been the weather, as the winter clouds and overcast skies of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, have replaced the near-constant sunshine of his hometown of Pasadena, California.
“It was just weird going weeks in a row with straight rain,” said Young, who enrolled early at Alabama as the topranked dual-threat quarterback in the country.
In comparison, the rest of the true freshman’s shift to the Bowl Subdivision has gone smoothly. He’s been amazed by the Crimson Tide’s resources. He’s been acclimating himself to the playbook. Young has adapted to the tempo of Alabama football as the team prepares for spring practice, which begins on Friday.
“There’s not a lot of time just sitting, wondering, ‘What am I going to do in Tuscaloosa?’ You’re always working, you’re always doing something,” Young said. “I’m definitely blessed to be able to go to Alabama where we have the best resources in college football. I’ve just been trying to take advantage of it.
“It’s definitely a difference. It’s definitely different being in Tuscaloosa than the area that I come from. At the same time, there’s definitely positives about everything.”
At the Maxwell Football Club annual awards ceremony, where he was named the national high school offensive player of the year, Young discussed his decision to back out of his verbal commitment to Southern California and what awaits in his debut season at Alabama for what might be the last time this year – Nick Saban has historically not allowed true freshmen to speak to the media.
Unless, that is, the true freshman grabs a starting role. Young is a contender for the open job left vacant by Tua Tagovailoa, who traded in his senior season for the NFL, and held during the last month of the 2019 season by junior Mac Jones. While that experience seemingly gives Jones an early edge in the competition, each of Saban’s past two primary quarterbacks, Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, either started or played key roles as true freshmen.
“It’s just to carry out whatever the coaches want from me,” Young said of the goals for his freshman season. “I just want to maximize myself and listen to my coaches. Really, for me, it’s whatever the coaches ask of me. I’m just trying to get better and push myself to be the best I can. Just listen to the coaches. They’re not going to steer me wrong.”
He arrives with significant hype and potentially oversize expectations. Young threw for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns as a senior at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana with another 357 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He ended the recent recruiting cycle ranked second nationally among all prospects and as the top-rated quarterback in the composite rankings compiled by 247Sports.com.