Tua Tagovailoa is leaving Alabama for the NFL Draft and the Crimson Tide are in great shape as they adjust to life without the best quarterback in program history.
Logan Roy didn’t lock in his succession plan and it backfired in a big way in season 2 of the HBO series Succession. Alabama head coach Nick Saban, however, has a succession plan in place with true freshman Bryce Young poised to take over for Tua Tagovailoa who declared for the NFL Draft.
There was a little bit of suspense leading up to the Tua announcement on Monday morning but he made the right choice when he announced he’d forgo his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft where he is projected to be a top-15 pick but could go in the top-5 depending on how his medicals check out after suffering a fractured hip in mid-November.
Without Tua, Alabama has options under center, beginning with Mac Jones who played well as the starter after Tua’s injury. Tua’s younger brother, Taulia Tagovailoa, will also be an option in the quarterback competition that will be one of the hottest storylines to watch develop over the spring and into the summer and fall.
The most intriguing and tantalizing option is Young who could be “the next Tua” and win the starting job coming out of camp.
Former three-year starter at Arizona State, Taylor Kelly, saw firsthand how special of a player Young is as his quarterbacks’ coach at Mater Dei. Kelly raved about the dual-threat ability Young brings to the field, via Al.com.
“The kid can throw seven touchdowns on you in one game and he can then go and rush for four touchdowns in the next one, Kelly said. You kind of have to pick your poison with him.”
Young won the Gatorade Player of the Year for California, Los Angeles Times Player of the Year and USA Today’s Offensive Player of the Year after a senior season at Mater Dei High School that saw him throw for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns.
In his three years as the starter for the high school power, the 5-foot-11, 183-pound Young threw for 11,805 yards and 138 touchdowns to only 15 interceptions, shattering program and state records along the way.
It’s pretty impressive when you consider Mater Dei has produced Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart as well as four-year starter at USC, Matt Barkley, current USC signal-caller, JT Daniels, and former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan who threw the ninth-most yards in college football history.
According to 247Sports, Young is ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback.
He doesn’t have prototypical NFL size and is closer to the frame of former Heisman winner and Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, albeit without the freakish speed, or a slimmer version of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
247Sports provides this scouting report on Young that should excite Alabama fans:
"Has a live arm and is able to throw just as well outside the pocket as he does from inside. His ability to escape pressure and extend plays is as good as you’ll see at the high school level. … Plays with a poise and savvy beyond his years. Never looks flustered or nervous in the pocket. Has improved his touch and accuracy on the deep ball, but it’s an area we think he can continue to get better. Has an advanced feel in the pocket and is excellent going through progressions and finding his secondary targets. Has an extremely high football IQ and will have no problem picking up a complex college playbook. Is a natural leader, a winner and the guy you want leading your team on a last-minute drive."
That doesn’t sound like a player who will get familiar with the bench as a freshman. This sounds like a player who will be a Day 1 starter and leave his mark on the program when his time is up.
Saban used to be averse to starting true freshmen quarterbacks, but that philosophy has changed in recent years in light of Jalen Hurts breaking new ground as the first freshman starter for Saban four years ago. Plus, Saban inserted Tua with Alabama trailing in the second half of the National Championship Game, so clearly, he’s not opposed to playing freshmen. He’s focused on playing the best quarterback and Young could prove to be the best option.
In an era when players expect to play right away or run to the transfer portal to head to a place where they won’t have to wait, Saban may not want to be patient and roll with Jones. He may want to get the quarterback of the future ready to be the quarterback of the present.
Wouldn’t it be fitting if Young gets the start for the season opener against USC, the team Young originally committed to before flipping to Alabama?
Coaching from the opposing sidelines in high school, St. Frances co-head coach Henry Russell said in October, via Al.com, Young is the best high school quarterback he’s seen and he coached the Under Armour All-American Game in 2018 that featured Ohio State quarterback and Heisman finalist, Justin Fields.
“Honestly, he’s probably the best high school quarterback I’ve seen in person,” said Russell. “He’s electric. The poise he had and the control over the game he had for a high school kid, I haven’t seen that before. He’s special. He’s special. … I’d be surprised if he didn’t come in there and push for immediate playing time. He’s got all the tools, all the talent.”
Shortly after Alabama won the Citrus Bowl and waited on Tua’s decision, Young was shredding some of the top recruits in the country during the Under Armour All-American week of practices and the game. Young was named the game’s MVP, wowing onlookers in the process.
“(Young) kind of submitted himself as the most accurate quarterback, the most polished quarterback, and probably the most ready-to-play quarterback in this class,” 247Sports National Analyst Charles Power said of Young’s All-American Bowl performance. “You can’t really say enough about how good he is. The game is just really slow for him.”
Young is not Tua. He is built differently from a physical standpoint and doesn’t have the same ultra-rare arm talent that Tua possesses. However, they are very similar in the way they attack the game, preparation, leadership and relying on their faith.
He doesn’t need to be Tua to succeed at Alabama. He just needs to be himself and that’s plenty good to win the starting job and lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff just like his predecessor.
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