Nick Saban reveals when he knew Bryce Young could win Heisman

Bryce Young’s name is being heavily talked about, and rightfully so. The standout Alabama quarterback has put together a sensational season, has the Crimson Tide ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff and has racked up a handful of top awards.

After already being named the Associated Press Player of the Year, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, a First Team All-SEC selection and the Crimson Tide’s team Most Valuable Player and permanent team captain, Young received his highest honor yet on Saturday – winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy.

Young, who’s thrown for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions this season, has guided the Tide to a 12-1 overall mark. The former On3 Consensus five-star quarterback and his squad will face off against No. 4 Cincinnati on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

After winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban met with the media and spoke highly of his quarterback – saying that Young was most-deserving candidate for the award.

“Well, I think Bryce played extremely well for us all year long,” Saban said. “We’ve sort of had our ups and downs as a team. I don’t really think that his performance was ever contributed to that. He played extremely well on a consistent basis, and I think consistency in performance is what helps you sort of have the kind of season that he had relative to statistics or wins or however you want to look at it.

“But, phenomenal drive at Auburn and phenomenal performance against Georgia in the SEC championship game I think really sort of accentuated the kind of season that Bryce was capable of and the kind of season that he had.”

Young is first Alabama quarterback to win Heisman

Bryce Young is the first quarterback in Alabama program history to win the Heisman Trophy and the fourth overall player, joining Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020). He claimed the award just one year after Smith, making Alabama the third school in modern history to win consecutive Heisman Trophies (Oklahoma in 2017-18, USC in 2004-05).

“There’s been such a great legacy at the University of Alabama,
and there’s such a rich quarterback history, from all the guys that have been there,” Young said before the Heisman ceremony, when asked what it would mean to be the first Alabama quarterback to win. “Just to hear that history and just to hear what [other quarterbacks have] meant to the program and meant to all the coaches and people that they’ve encountered, that’s something I don’t take lightly at all.”