With Alabama football’s fall camp in full swing, the staff for Touchdown Alabama Magazine will release a series of player spotlight pieces on starters and marquee contributors for the 2020 football season.
RELATED: 2020 Alabama Player Spotlight: WR Jaylen Waddle
In these articles, we will dive into the strengths and weaknesses of each player, provide expectations for 2020, give NFL Draft projections for those who are eligible, and conclude with how each one can impact the team.
The fifth offensive player and the first freshman, who Touchdown Alabama will spotlight is true freshman quarterback, Bryce Young.
Bryce Young
-Position: Quarterback
-Classification: Freshman
-Height: 6-0
-Weight: 194 pounds
-2019 stats: N/A
Strengths
-High IQ
-Possesses Quick trigger
-Feels Pressure
-Elusive in the open field
-Comfortable in the pocket
Summary: It is no secret that Bryce Young is special. The California product is a true dual-threat quarterback, who can keep plays alive with his legs and rip apart defenses with his quick trigger.
Young’s physical attributes made him exciting to watch at Mater Dei High School and it has Alabama fans eager to see the true freshman in action. A basketball background from a young age allows Young to be elusive in space and make plays with his legs when he needs to, but he is not looking to run most of the time. He wants to extend the play with his feet and show off his strong arm and ability to throw.
However, Young’s athleticism is not his biggest strength. It is his high football IQ. The Mater Dei product is comfortable in the pocket and has the ability to go through his reads and hit his second and third options. He also has a sense of when the pocket is falling apart and when he needs to escape the pocket or step up in it to avoid a sack.
Young racked up 4,528 passing yards and 58 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions as a senior at Mater Dei High School. He finished his high school career with 13,250 passing yards and 152 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.
RELATED: Bryce Young Recruiting Profile
Weaknesses
-Needs to continue to get stronger
Summary: It is hard to find many flaws in Young’s game outside of him continuing to develop his body, which should be no problem under Alabama’s new strength and conditioning staff. Young has put on some weight since enrolling at the Univerity of Alabama as he is currently listed as a 194-pound quarterback on the Tide’s current roster.
Then there are the things that come along with being a young quarterback that Young will need to focus on as well, which are basically things he will get better at the longer he is in Tuscaloosa like reading coverages and becoming familiar with Alabama’s playbook.
Expectations for 2020 season
If things were completely normal and Alabama was able to have spring football and a normal fall camp, the conversation surrounding Young and what he is expected to do this season would be totally different. Since the current circumstances are everything but normal, it is relatively safe to say Young will most likely be a backup quarterback, at least heading into the first game of the season. Is there a possibility he could grab the starting spot? Yes. We have seen Nick Saban sub in a backup quarterback in a pressure-packed situation because he felt it gave the Crimson Tide a better chance to win, but with the current circumstances in mind, it looks as if Young will not be a day 1 starter in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban has not announced a starter for the Tide’s first game of the season.
NFL Draft 2021 projections
Not Eligible
Conclusion
Young is projected to be a special quarterback in Tuscaloosa for several years and he has the tools to do that and more.
It is unclear how big of an impact he will have for the Crimson Tide this season, but it is safe to say he can be a great back up quarterback option or develop into the starter before the season is over.
RELATED: 2020 Player Spotlight: QB Mac Jones
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
