Tag: Bryce Young

Will Bryce Young see playing time against Missouri?

true freshman QB Bryce young could see some solid playing time in his young career. Don’t be shocked to see him get some early playing time.

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Alabama’s quarterback vacancy has been filled by Mac Jones, who has been on the team since 2017. While he sits atop the depth chart, for now, many fans are wondering when the five-star, true-freshman Bryce Young will see some playing time.

Well, there’s a strong chance it’s in the season-opening matchup against Missouri.

Nick Saban has been picky with his quarterbacks while coaching the Crimson Tide. It has clearly paid off for him, as he has led Alabama to five National Championship wins since 2006.

True freshman is usually cause for hesitation, likely meaning one of two things: a lack of depth forcing the first-year player to be thrusted into a starting role, or an absolute star of a player that earned the job over incumbent players.

In 2016, Jalen Hurts, a true freshman, led Alabama all the way to the National Championship with an undefeated record and an easy 54-16 win over Florida in the SEC Championship. However, they were unable to secure the national title with a difficult loss to Clemson.

The following season saw the emergence of a new true freshman. This time in the form of a five-star, dual-threat quarterback from Honolulu, Hawaii.

Enter: Tua Tagovailoa.

Hurts was the clear starter to begin the season, and that never changed. While Hurts was the starter, Saban also sought out opportunities for Tagovailoa to see some in-game experience.

Tagovailoa never started a game as a true freshman, but he did appear in eight games, where he put up impressive numbers, considering the minimal playing time he saw. A 63.6% completion percentage, 636 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

It went beyond gaining experience when Alabama was down 13-0 to Georgia at halftime in the 2017 National Championship. Saban went all-in on the true freshman quarterback. And it paid off with an overtime win in Alabama’s favor to bring in national title No. 17.

When Tagovailoa became the starter, and Hurts transferred, Mac Jones became the No. 2 quarterback. Even then, he saw plenty of playing time, before ultimately becoming the starter late in the season due to Tagovailoa’s season-ending hip injury.

Now, with Tagovailoa in the NFL, Alabama has Jones as the named starter, and Young sitting just behind him.

If one thing has been made clear in recent years with Saban, it’s that being a true freshman does not eliminate you from being put into the game, especially if the lead is large enough for that player to have some wiggle room to make some mistakes.

Alabama is favored in the season-opening matchup by 27 points. If the second half begins with a healthy lead, it would certainly not be surprising for Young to get some action in shortly thereafter, or even in the fourth quarter.

Don’t be shocked to see the young quarterback get some solid shots in during his few minutes, his strong arm and dangerous mobility could earn him more playing time, and an eventual starting job before then end of 2020.

 

Alabama football countdown: 9 days until kickoff

We are 9 days from Alabama football kicking off its season on the road against the Missouri Tigers to start a 10-game, SEC only schedule.

There has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding college football over the last couple of months, but as of right now, the season still looks like it’s a go for the SEC, ACC and Big 12.

So, what does that mean? It means that we can continue the Countdown to Kickoff en route to the Crimson Tide — and the rest of the SEC — getting things underway on Sept. 26.

With it now being Sept. 17, we are officially 9 days away from the start!

Two players are currently wearing the No. 9 for Alabama. Sophomore safety Jordan Battle wears it on defense while true freshman quarterback Bryce Young wears it on defense.

Jordan Battle
South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski (3) throws the ball as he is tackled by Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday September 14, 2019. Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser

2020 Alabama football schedule

  • Sept. 26 at Missouri (Columbia, Mizz.)
  • Oct. 3 vs. Texas A&M (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 10 at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)
  • Oct. 17 vs. Georgia (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Oct. 24 at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.)
  • Oct. 31 vs. Miss State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 14 at LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
  • No. 21 vs. Kentucky (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Nov. 28 vs. Auburn (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
  • Dec. 5 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.)

Stay tuned for more updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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SEC experts pick Alabama to win conference title in 2020

CBS Sports’ SEC experts weighed in on the state of SEC football in 2020, made some bold predictions and foresees Alabama winning it all.

The 2020 college football season is underway and it will be unlike any season in the sport’s history. Alabama and the rest of the SEC will play a ten game, conference-only schedule due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Questions loom over how the season will pan out, how the change in schedule will affect teams and who will reign supreme by the end of it all.

CBS Sports’ SEC experts weighed in on these questions, and more, when looking ahead to the 2020 season, which is set to kick off on Sept. 26.

The experts named their most overrated and underrated teams within the conference for 2020. Alabama’s name was nowhere in sight on both lists.

The Crimson Tide were mentioned in the ‘Bold Predictions’ by Ben Kercheval. He mentions the quarterback situation in Tuscaloosa could be similar to that of when Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa competed for the starting role.

“Similar to Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, Bryce Young will eventually be thrust into the spotlight at Alabama even though Mac Jones starts the season as QB1,” writes Kercheval.

However, when it came to predicting who will win the SEC West, Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide was the clear favorite without contest

Experts Barrett Sallee, Dennis Dodd, Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli, Ben Kercheval, Jerry Palm and David Cobb unanimously picked Alabama to win the SEC West and face either Georgia or Florida in the 2020 SEC Championship game.

Only one expert, Fornelli, did not predict Alabama to win the conference title, he foresees a Georgia win.

Though, the others all backed the Crimson Tide.

“Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones might not have the same upside as other SEC signal callers, but his supporting cast is better,” writes Sallee. “The Tide have an established offensive line, studs at wide receiver in DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle along with one of the best all-around running backs in the nation in Najee Harris. Plus, the best defensive player in college football — linebacker Dylan Moses — returns after a year off and joins a defense that has experience up front and an established star at corner in Patrick Surtain II. Experience matters more so this year than in regular seasons, and Alabama has it in spades. The rest of the SEC teams with top-end talent have glaring holes in the experience department in one or more spots. Not Alabama. This won’t be a competitive SEC season. The gap between Alabama and the field is the size of the Grand Canyon.”

There are two weeks left until Alabama kicks off the 2020 season against Missouri. Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football as the season quickly approaches.

Jaylen Waddle speaks on Alabama QBs progression during practices

Alabama junior WR Jaylen Waddle spoke to the media on Saturday about Mac Jones and Bryce Young as the QB battle is underway.

Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is entering his junior season with the Crimson Tide. He and senior DeVonta Smith are two of the four wide receivers from the 2019 season that will be returning after the team lost Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III to the 2020 NFL draft.

Along with Jeudy and Ruggs went starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, arguably the biggest loss to the Crimson Tide offense.

Waddle spoke to the media on Saturday about two quarterbacks that are high on Alabama’s depth chart, redshirt-junior Mac Jones and former five-star true freshman Bryce Young.

Jones is expected to be the starter to begin the season, but there is talk that Young’s talent could allow him to jump Jones’ on the depth chart, earning him a starting role.

After Tagovailoa went down with a season-ending hip injury during a November game against Mississippi state, Jones became Alabama’s starting quarterback. In 2019, he recorded a 68.7% completion rate for 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

A true freshman starting quarterback is nothing new for Nick Saban and his staff. Jalen Hurts earned the starting Job in 2016 and continued on to lead them to the National Championship game. In 2017, when Alabama was losing to Georgia at the half, Saban decided to put in true freshman Tua Tagovailoa, a move that helped Saban earn ring No. 6, and title No. 17 for the Crimson Tide.

Waddle spoke abut the work the two quarterbacks have put in during practice.

On Mac Jones:

“I think he’s taking a more personal role,” said Waddle on Saturday. “He’s more confident, he’s really leading the team. He came in late last year, so it was more of a process of him getting better and more confident with the offense. Now, he’s looking really, really good.

Mini-camp and the camp that we are having right now, we’ve been getting a lot of reps, a lot more reps than usual. So, I thin the chemistry has just continued to get better over time.”

On Bryce Young:

“Bryce is looking really good,” said Waddle. “He’s learning- he learns quick and fast. he’s really just showing his talent and what he can do.”

Alabama flips 4-star QB commit from Texas

Alabama landed one of the top quarterbacks in the country on Monday when Jalen Milroe flipped from Texas to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama continued its hot streak on the recruiting trail on Monday night with a surprise commitment from four-star quarterback Jalen Milroe. The Katy (Tex.) native had been committed to the Texas Longhorns for over a year.

The decision from Milroe might have come down to several factors, but one of those factors could be that the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2022, quarterback Quinn Ewers, committed to Texas over the weekend.

It’s the Crimson Tide’s gain, however, as they didn’t currently have a signal-caller for the class of 2021 after signing top-ranked dual-threat quarterback Bryce Young in 2020.

Milroe took to Twitter to announce the news of the switch:

First, I’ll like to give thanks to God for blessing me in all that I am and all that I do. I want to say thank you to Coach Herman and Coach Beck for recruiting me and giving me an opportunity to chase my dreams and further my academic and athletic career at the University of Texas. I want to also thank Coach Yurcich. I know I wasn’t initially your guy, but you continued to build a relationship with me. To the #trUTh21, you’re a special group, and you all are gonna be dangerous! Lastly, I’ll like to thank the University of Texas’ fans. You all have shown me tremendous support and love since I committed over a year ago. At this time, after taking a lot into consideration, much prayer and speaking with my parents, I have decided to decommit from UT and commit to another University thats shares my visions and aspirations. With that being said, I’ll be committing to the University of Alabama! My recruitment is 100% closed. Roll Tide!- Jalen Milroe on Twitter

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Milroe is rated as the nation’s No. 82 overall prospect, No. 4 dual-threat quarterback and No. 10 player from the state of Texas.

With his commitment, Alabama now has 19 total for the class of 2021. The Tide are still rated behind Ohio State for the top overall class, but it’s extremely close. Don’t be surprised if they continue to make a push.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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WATCH: Alabama QB Bryce Young’s senior highlights will blow your mind

after watching this highlight reel of Young’s his senior year. WOW. He might become one of Alabama’s best quarterbacks of all time. 

When Alabama signed Bryce Young, they knew they were getting a winner. After all, there’s a reason why he was named the national high school offensive player of the year, and was also the No. 1 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class.

We knew he was good, but after watching this highlight reel of his senior year. WOW. He might become one of Alabama’s best quarterbacks of all time.

In his senior year alone, Young threw for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns with another 357 yards and 10 TDs on the ground.

In his career,  he threw for 12,895 yards, 147 TDs, and 18 INT.

Yes, you read that correctly. 147 touchdowns. INCREDIBLE.

“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”

“I just wanted to do what was best for me, football-wise. I felt that Alabama was the best fit for me. It was somewhat difficult facing the fact that I’m not going to be going to school 20 minutes away from my house. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to do what was best. It wasn’t really too big of a deal. It was, for me, whatever I could do to put myself in the best position.”

As Myerberg explains in his article, “Alabama could offer continuity and security at a time when USC seemed headed toward a coaching change, though Helton was able to lead the Trojans to eight wins and secure his position for at least one more year, with several changes to his coaching staff.”

Young is excited, and knows the best is yet to come:

“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.”

There’s no doubt that the quarterback battle in Tuscaloosa will be one of the most fascinating college football stories this season, especially since it will be Mac Jones and Bryce Young who will be battling it out for the QB1 position.

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WATCH: 2021 Alabama WR commit hilariously claims backup QB job

Alabama four-star wide receiver commit Agiye Hall out of Bloomingdale (Fla.) jokes about being Bryce Young’s backup on Twitter.

Bloomingdale High School standout receiver Agiye Hall committed to Alabama back in mid-April, and while he’s eventually supposed to be catching passes from Tide quarterbacks, he also wouldn’t mind being one.

On Saturday, Hall jokingly tweeted out a video of him throwing a pass to a teammate while also saying that he wouldn’t mind being Bryce Young’s backup in Tuscaloosa:

The caption says “don’t worry bama we got the top guy @_bryce_young and me at back up just in case”, which got plenty of reaction from fans and others on social media.

While it was obviously a joke, Hall actually throws a good pass and maybe even proved to Alabama coaches that he’s capable of doing some sort of trick play in the future if asked.

Hall is rated as a four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, while also checking in at No. 70 overall, the No. 11 wide receiver and the No. 12 player from the state of Florida.

Stay tuned for more Alabama football updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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Top-three quarterbacks Georgia will face in 2020

Here is our list of the top-3 quarterbacks Georgia will face this season.

Georgia players arrived on campus this month after the SEC voted to allow student-athletes back on campus for voluntary workouts starting June 8.

There are still concerns for the 2020 college football season revolving around the impact of COVID-19, but as far as we know, all signs point to football being played this fall.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 12-2 season in 2019, where they secured their third-straight SEC East title and dominated Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. Not a bad resume whatsoever, but in most Georgia fans’ minds, without a playoff bid and a blowout loss to LSU in Atlanta, the season was a disappointment.

To reach the college football playoff this season and play for another championship, Georgia will have to make improvements on the offensive side of the ball – and they have. Credit Kirby Smart and the Georgia coaching staff for bringing in former NFL offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and signing Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman.

Defensively, Georgia is once again in great hands. The Bulldogs return most players from the record-breaking 2019 unit that was ranked No. 1 in rush defense and No. 1 in scoring defense. That said, the SEC East was not exactly a hot bed for quarterback talent in 2019, and Georgia will be facing more experienced signal callers in 2020. Here are the top-3 SEC quarterbacks the Bulldogs will play this season.

1. Kyle Trask – Florida

2019 Stats: 66.9% passing for 2,941 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions (63 carries for eight yards and four touchdowns).

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Trask doesn’t take up much space in Georgia fans’ minds, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t. We all know how well Dan Mullen works with quarterbacks – Tebow, Prescott – so we should expect Trask to make better decisions in 2020 and Florida has plenty of talent to give the Bulldogs a game in Jacksonville.

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WATCH: Bryce Young trains with Alabama receivers before official practices begin

Alabama’s five-star true freshman quarterback Bryce Young is seen training with Alabama WRs days before official training is set to begin.

It was recently reported that SEC football players would be allowed back on campus to train with staff beginning June, 8.

However, that may be too long to wait for some of the Crimson Tide’s 2020 squad.

A few videos were posted online which showed numerous Alabama players, including quarterbacks throwing, receivers running routes and catching passes and defensive backs getting some one-on-one work in on the field where the Million Dollar Band practices on University Blvd. on campus.

The videos are from a trainer that is not affiliated with Alabama, Ro Simon Jr..

This video shows receivers DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Slade Bolden, John Metchie, Javon Baker, Xavier Williams and defensive back Marcus Banks.

Another video shows Alabama’s five-star true freshman quarterback Bryce young passing to Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle had to jump to catch the pass, but got both feet down in the end zone which would make this an NFL touchdown.

Mac Jones can be seen in the background wearing his shoulder pads with shorts and no jersey.

These are not official practices, but it should feel good for Alabama fans knowing their players want to be out there perfecting their craft.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on all things Alabama football as the season gets closer.

Alabama’s Bryce Young can be the next great freshman QB in college football

Alabama freshman quarterback Bryce Young isn’t the favorite to earn the starting job week 1, but QBs of recent years could offer insight …

Since 2010, there have been six freshman quarterbacks to receive high praise and recognition nation-wide. Nick Saban and Alabama may have the seventh on their roster for the 2020 season.

Bryce Young is about to begin his first season with the Crimson Tide. The five-star, No. 1 ranked dual-threat quarterback is native to California and flipped to Alabama after having initially committed to USC.

With Tua Tagovailoa forgoing his senior season to declare for the NFL draft, Coach Saban is tasked with finding Tua’s successor.

The expected starter for the 2020 season is redshirt-junior Mac Jones. A former three-star from Florida, Jones played under Jalen Hurts and Tua which has allowed him to slowly climb the depth chart.

Young, however, has stirred up discussions over a quarterback competition ever since he announced his commitment to Alabama.

He has made quite a name for himself in high school at Mater Dei in Pasadena. In four years he tallied 13,250 passing yards and 152 passing touchdowns. He also earned the title of top-ranked dual-threat quarterback. He ran for 1,084 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

There’s a common argument that’s made which claims Young is a true freshman. This insists he lacks experience and skills of an older quarterback.

Being young may mean the coach has to spend a little bit more time molding, but it certainly hasn’t stopped others from climbing the ladder to national stardom as a freshman.

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston were both redshirt freshman when the spotlight landed on them in their respective years. Manziel won the Heisman at Texas A&M in 2012, and Winston won the award in 2013 at FSU to become the youngest to ever hoist the Heisman trophy.

There wasn’t another freshman quarterback star until 2016, where there would be four true freshmen in the National Championship in three consecutive years.

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The idea isn’t new to the Crimson Tide fanbase. Jalen Hurts, a true freshman, helped guide Alabama to a Peach Bowl win and a National Championship appearance in 2016.

Young would not be the first true freshman dual-threat quarterback to start at Alabama. Hurts, a former four-star dual threat quarterback made it easy for fans to marvel over how different of a quarterback he was. He threw for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with nine interceptions. He also ran for 954 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Two new stars emerged from the 2017 National Championship.

Georgia’s starting quarterback was Jake Fromm, the former four-star who decided to stay in-state to play. Georgia had a healthy 13-0 lead and looked like they were on pace to have a national title.

The Bulldogs ended up leaving the game empty handed after then-sophomore Hurts had been pulled from the game and replaced by true freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Both, Fromm and Tagovailoa had an impressive game that ultimately led to successful collegiate careers and spots on NFL rosters.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

One season later, Alabama is back in the National Championship game. This time against a Clemson team led by true freshman Trevor Lawrence.

Lawrence got the win over Alabama in impressive fashion and helped the Tigers become first team to have an undefeated season paired with a College Football Playoff win.

Coach Saban and Alabama have faced three of the aforementioned quarterbacks in their freshman seasons, and lost to two of them. Bryce Young starting in 2020 is a legitimate possibility. If one coach knows something about how special true freshman can be, it’s Nick Saban.

Though Mac Jones will likely earn the starting job for the season-opening game in Dallas vs. USC, be on the lookout for Young’s opportunities early in the season to propel himself to the top of college football.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Bryce Young and his journey through his freshman year.