Does Nick Saban add producing the No. 1 overall pick to his illustrious resume?
It is starting to look more like he will with Bryce Young.
As a two-year starter for Alabama, he totaled 8,200 passing yards and 79 passing touchdowns. Young set single-season school records for passing yards (4,872), passing touchdowns (47), and total touchdowns (50) in 2021. He became the first quarterback in Crimson Tide history to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy. The California native stands at 5’10” and 204 pounds, but he excelled against defenses in the Southeastern Conference. He endured adversity in 2022 with a shoulder injury and inconsistency around him, but he tossed for 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns. Young took the Tide to an SEC Championship in 2021 and an Allstate Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State in 2022. He was a true freshman on Alabama’s CFP national team in 2020.
Young and C.J. Stroud of Ohio State are battling for the No. 1 pick. ESPN’s Mel Kiper has Young going to the Carolina Panthers.
“His decision-making,” Kiper said on ESPN’s Get Up about why he has Young going No. 1 overall. “He did not have the elite supporting cast last year, but he put up the numbers. He dealt with an injury, played through it though he missed one game, I think people look at him as the guy who has the IT factor. He is a winner, he’s got that sparkle, and a guy that Carolina can move forward with. They have the infrastructure with the O-Line, supporting cast, and all those coaches surrounding the quarterback.”
Kiper believes Young is the ideal fit for Frank Reich and the Panthers,
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
