Why Alabama must challenge Bryce Young to continue growing

Alabama star Bryce Young set the college football world on fire in his sophomore season. Now the Crimson Tide quarterback must challenge himself to continue growing.

From the opening kickoff of the 2021 season until the Heisman Trophy was announced, 20-year-old Bryce Young was the man to beat for the prestigious award. The sophomore was the betting favorite entering his first season as a starter despite throwing just 13 passes behind Mac Jones in 2020. While Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei folded under that pressure, the Alabama star flourished with his new opportunity.

As impressive as his two predecessors, Tua Tagovailoa and Jones were, Young blew them away statistically. He secured the title as the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman thanks to his 66.9 percent completion rate, 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

The Crimson Tide relied heavily on the 6-foot, 194-pounder to create with his arm. Alabama’s usually dominant running game was still good thanks to Brian Robinson Jr.’s 1,343 yards, but the offense functioned because of Young. After seeing physically limited but highly accurate passers in the three previous seasons, Young’s ability to stretch the field vertically brought new life and element to the offense.

How much better can Alabama quarterback Bryce Young get?

First-year offensive coordinator and former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien proved to be an excellent fit with Young. Young passing distribution is balanced between all three levels, a stark difference after both Tagovailoa and Jones combined to throw just 13 percent of their attempts beyond 20 yards. Almost 23 percent of Young’s throws were beyond that deep marker.

The combination of Young’s accuracy and arm talent, O’Brien’s aggressive game plans, and receivers Jameson Williams, John Metchie, and Cameron Latu equaled an almost unstoppable team. Their shocking loss to Texas A&M certainly wasn’t because of a lack of offense, but their national championship loss to Georgia was. But credit must be given to Georgia for changing their approach after getting hammered just five weeks early by Young and the Tide.

Entering his junior season off a 13-2 finish, it’s hard to imagine Young will improve statistically. His raw accuracy was almost as good as his first-round predecessors on every level despite having a more challenging scheme and a little less talent to work with. And each game features at least one beautiful example of premier touch.

For as impressive as the raw numbers and physical talent is, a closer examination of Young’s ability to hit guys in stride and put the ball on the correct shoulder is worthwhile. It’s not as if where Young left off in 2021 wasn’t enough for him to be a high NFL draft pick or national champion at Alabama, but more about how he can maximize his gifts. The majority of the deeper throws in any highlight video cause the receiver to slow down or slightly adjust their path for the ball.

This isn’t a huge deal when high draft picks span the field for the offense. Jameson Williams expertly navigated adjustments while the ball was in the air. And surely Young’s next crop of pass-catchers will have the skill to do the same.

However, Georgia’s defeat of Alabama showed that defenses with similar athleticism could disrupt Young’s clean passing lanes and erase his room to launch passes and close passing windows at the catch point. Young fared well for a first-year starter even if the game showed his areas for improvement. The exciting thing is the room for possible growth.

Currently, Young has a smooth release and refined mechanics that often lead to great accuracy. He throws a catchable ball at a rate unlikely to be improved, but there the details of powerpoint precision require him to lead receivers more frequently. More strength throughout his core can help him get the ball out front of receivers easier.

O’Brien could do more to assist in Young’s mental processing and growth by challenging him to be more than a two-receiver passer as well. Alabama’s overall scheme took a step back last year from Steve Sarkesian to O’Brien, a likely necessary direction considering the inexperience at quarterback and receiver. Even with Jermaine Burton, Ja’Corey Brooks and JoJo Earle stepping up in 2022, pushing Young outside his comfort zone to go through progressions quickly and lead his receivers can do wonders to unlock the upside of the unit.

Other young quarterbacks across the country aren’t in dissimilar positions. Ohio State needs to get C.J. Stroud to perform as naturally as Young plays and introduce more difficult concepts. Everyone else has even greater achievements and leaps to make to even get to the level of Young and Stroud.

Alabama’s reliance on their own raw talent can be incredibly limiting when facing similar opponents. O’Brien and Young have the ability to continue their growth together and challenge themselves by making things uncomfortable and more difficult. If executed correctly and if Young has the capacity to self-scout and recognize coverage nuances, the ceiling on the 2022 Alabama offense will be higher than we’ve ever seen.

Young is that gifted and his floor is high enough to push Nick Saban’s peak even higher.

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