He had fun competing against Bryce Young in practices and with him in games for the University of Alabama, but he is excited to see what the future holds for him and Young in the National Football League.
Jordan Battle, a former Crimson Tide safety, played three seasons with Young.
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He watched the former five-star wait his turn behind Mac Jones as a freshman in 2020. He earned a College Football Playoff National Championship ring that year; however, Battle witnessed Young do special things in 2021. As a first-year starter, Young set the school’s single-season record for passing yards (4,872), touchdown passes (47), and total touchdowns (50).
He won the Heisman Trophy as the first quarterback ever in school history to do it. Young carried Alabama to a Southeastern Conference Championship and nearly a national championship. He battled adversity last year, but the California native totaled 3,328 yards passing and 32 touchdowns. Young kept Alabama alive in several games, pushing the program to 11 wins — including a victory over Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but Battle hilariously explained to NFL media personality Kay Adams how much he looks forward to intercepting Young in the pros.
Battle shared a secret of what it takes to pick Young off.
How do you stop Bryce Young? @JordanMBattle knows..! pic.twitter.com/z7LZ9Ieu1N
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) April 17, 2023
“You have to trick him,” Battle said about how to intercept Young.
“He knows how to trick the defensive back, so you have to read his eyes but not always read his first read. He is not always going to where he is looking first. He is the most intelligent quarterback I have seen with my own eyes.”
NFL defensive backs may have a hard time tricking Young. He dominated the players in the best conference in college football for two seasons. It will be exciting to watch Battle and Young compete against each other in the league.
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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.
