Bryce Young was introduced to the media Thursday for the first time since joining Alabama as the No. 1 quarterback in last year’s class. The sophomore spoke to reporters over Zoom for roughly 12 minutes, opening up on his time with the Crimson Tide and how he’s going about preparing to take over the starting role behind center this season.
Here’s what the five-star quarterback had to say during the interview.
What’s the biggest area or areas you’ve focused on improving this offseason?
“I felt like there was a lot of improvement for me that I was focused on this offseason. I felt like leadership was one of the big ones for me. Seeing how strong of a leadership we had last year and obviously the success we had last year was something that was really inspiring for me, so wanting to step up as a leader was probably the biggest thing I’ve been focusing on.”
What QBs do you study?
"That’s a great question. There’s been a lot over the years [who] obviously done a lot of tremendous things. For me, as far as NFL quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers is someone who I definitely look up to on the field and someone that I like to take pieces of their game and study and try to implement into my game along with Russell Wilson who also does a lot of really good stuff.
"I try my best to be a big student of the game, so if I’m here naming quarterbacks that I try to look at and take pieces of their game, we’ll be here for a minute. But I like a lot of ball, and there are a lot of quarterbacks in college and pros who are doing a great job right now, and I’m trying to emulate them and get on that level."
How do you avoid distractions?
“I think really it says a lot about Alabama, and it’s honestly not too hard with the coaching that we have. Coach Saban from Day 1 when all the external stuff started to pop up, and it’s been going on for a while with their being whatever distractions there may be, that’s something we preach a lot about making sure we keep the main thing the main thing. We’ve talked a lot about that in-house, and that’s something that we live by. So for us, really motivated by working hard and making sure we attack the challenges the way we want to.
"Really those distractions, whatever they may be, they’re always going to be there. Really the culture that we have is something that’s really strong, and I’m glad to be a part of it and it really just keeps us focused on what we need to be focused on.”
What has the cultural adjustment been like from California to Alabama?
“It’s definitely been a culture adjustment. Being a So Cal kid, it’s a lot being in the south. But me going to the south and transitioning into a new environment, new atmosphere has really been a great opportunity. The south has been super welcoming. Everyone here, everyone on the team, everyone in the facility has welcomed me with open arms. Really the love I’ve been shown and the hospitality and seeing how things are a little bit different, it’s been a great experience for me and I’ve been really happy to be in this new environment and I’ve learned a lot.”
How has having a year to adjust helped you as a player and person?
“Yeah, it’s helped me tremendously. Being able to watch last year’s team and be a part of it and really see what made it tick and see the success that we had last year was really big for me. As a young player coming in, getting to play behind Mac and really sit behind and watch him and see him operate last year to see all the stuff he did on the field and to see all the stuff he did off the field. All the stuff that not everyone knows that he did and to see how he was so successful to see the culture of the team to see the strengths to see all that as a young guy from So Cal was really big for me.
"Being able to see that and see all the success and be able to kind of work towards it has been a big challenge for us, a big challenge for me. It was a huge learning experience and I'm definitely glad I was able to be a part of it.”
Is there a locker room component that has to be dealt with due to NIL?
“Again I think that really goes back to our culture. There’s always been distractions, there will always be distractions, that’s something that Saban’s talked about and instilled in us for a long time. For us, we all know that whatever happens externally for any person doesn’t really have anything to do with our goal and what we’re working towards. For us, we keep the main thing the main thing.
"We know everyone has to show up to work each day. For us, between these lines in the building its all about how we can get better, how we can push ourselves and how we can improve. I think our whole team is bought into that, that’s something that Saban has instilled in us for a long time now. For us, we’re just trying to work harder and harder each and every day and improve on what we can improve on.”
How would you describe your game and strengths?
“Me really, I just try to be a leader on the field. My goal is to really craft my game around what we need as a team, whatever Coach O’Brien or Coach Saban wants me to do, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m someone who tries to work hard on and off the field and really I want to do whatever it is that’s best for the team. Whatever the gameplan is that Coach O’Brien or Coach Saban has laid out for us, that’s what I'm going to try my best to execute.”
What are some of John Metchie’s attributes that impress you?
“There’s a lot there. Metchie’s been really good for us, being kind of that veteran presence for us in the receiving corps, someone who’s come back, someone who’s dependable and someone who has a lot of experience. He brings a lot of that to not only his own game but to the entire team. Someone who’s played a big role on the team last year and is going to play a big role this year. He’s someone who’s really been a cornerstone of our offense.
"He’s helped a lot tremendously when it comes to leadership and leading us as an offense and on the field obviously, there’s stuff that he does on the field that are just special and he makes my job a lot easier at quarterback."
You replaced JT Daniels in high school. How does that help you prepare for the situation you are in?
“That’s a good question. I wouldn’t say my motivation is necessarily driven off oh I've done it in the past or I've been in a similar situation. For me, I really get my confidence and my drive really in my work ethic. For us it’s about being prepared about working hard, day-in and day-out, on the field and off the field, making sure that we’re pushing ourselves as hard as we can and when you work hard and you push yourselves and try not to cut any corners or skip anything or take any easy way outs. That’s where the confidence comes from and for me it’s less on leaning on previous experiences or comparing other things.
"For me its more about how hard I can work, how hard I can push myself, in practice and the offseason and that’s really where the confidence comes from for me.”
How do you handle the pressure of the expectations placed on you?
“There obviously are expectations, but regardless of what happened in high school are any past experiences I’ve had, coming to Bama is where you come for pressure and come for expectations. Everyone here when they signed on the dotted line and decided to come here we knew it was going to come with expectations.
“Saban sets that standard for us immediately during recruiting and when we step into the building, so it’s not something I was blindsided by, and, honestly, I don’t think it’s something that is unique to me. I think everyone in the building has those expectations, and I think that’s a big part of the success that we’ve had and the success that we’re working towards having. Saban setting that standard for us, putting those expectations on ourselves, is really what pushes us day-in and day-out and makes us a lot better each and every day."
There was a moment during the quarterback retreat in May where I saw you and (Miami QB) D’Eriq King talking at the 50-yard line. Do you remember that and what you were talking about?
"That’s a good question. I don’t know exactly in that conversation what we were talking about. The quarterback world, especially in collegiate football, is kind of a small world. Whether you knew people through high school, through camps, through whatever back channels, a lot of people in the college football world, especially quarterbacks, kind of know each other.
"So I couldn’t tell you specifically in that instance what we were talking about, but I’ve talked to D’Eriq multiple times — a really good dude, somebody who was really cool with me and who I have been cool with since our retreat. So I can’t tell you exactly that conversation, but it was definitely great to be able to be around other college quarterbacks for that weekend."
You had a relationship with Steve Sarkisian going back quite a ways. What was the adjustment like going from him to Bill O’Brien and what has that relationship been like?
“Yes, I had a relationship with Sark. He was here when I originally got here and Sark was a great coordinator, is a great coordinator. I know he’s going to great things where he’s at. But Coach O' Brien coming in has been great for me. It really has been a super smooth transition. When O’Brien first came in, I didn’t know him previously, didn’t have any relationship with him. I knew the experience he had, I knew he was from the NFL, knew he had all this title. When he came in what really shocked me was how open and how humble and how well he articulated everything to me.
"A lot of times you think of people in the NFL and you think, ‘Oh, they’ve done it at the highest level, they might come in and think they aren’t going to work with anyone, they’re just going to do it their way,’ but he’s super receptive to everyone in the quarterback room and everyone with offensive ideas. He’s obviously super knowledgeable and he’s really taught me a lot. That’s been really good for me and my growth. Being able to have those conversations, have that relationship was something that was really good for us as an offense and me individually and I’m super excited to keep working with O’Brien in the future.”
