Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young addresses potential, how great he can be

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young made history on Saturday when he became the first Alabama quarterback ever to win the Heisman Trophy, and he believes he’s yet to even scratch the surface of his potential.

Young has led Alabama to a 12-1 record in 2021, including an SEC Championship title against the Georgia Bulldogs. In the Crimson Tide’s 41-24 victory over the favored Bulldogs, Young completed 26 of his 44 passing attempts for 421 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions; meanwhile, he added three carries for 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. With the win, Young also helped Alabama earn the No. 1 overall spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, setting up the Crimson Tide for a Dec. 31 Orange Bowl matchup against No. 4 Cincinnati.

Young has completed 68% of his passes in 2021, good for 4,322 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and he’s added three rushing touchdowns to his season total. But as just a sophomore, Young believes he hasn’t come close to reaching his potential, both at Alabama and in the NFL.

“You know, that’s kind of up for me and my future to decide,” Young said Saturday, when asked how great he thinks he can become. “For me, it’s about really working day in and day out to push yourself. I’m not really somebody who looks into the future and sets these specific landmarks. I believe in God and trust his process and believe if I work as hard as I can and do all things and follow his path, he’ll take me on the route that he wants to take me. I don’t believe that’s a question for me to answer. I just trust God and his plan, and I want to do all I can to fulfill that.”

The Heisman Trophy is just the latest in a slew of awards for the Alabama signal caller, who was also the winner of the Maxwell Award and the AP’s National Player of the Year award.

“(Young has) a presence and a leadership that is performance-based. Made all those guys gain confidence and get better,” head coach Nick Saban said after Young won the Heisman. “I think it was a little different dynamic for him this year than maybe it was for some of the other (quarterbacks) in their years.”

Young is the fourth Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020). He claimed the award just one year after DeVonta Smith, making Alabama the third school in modern history to win consecutive Heisman Trophies (Oklahoma in 2017-18, USC in 2004-05). But Young was the first to say Saturday that this is just the beginning — not just in terms of is own growth, but also in terms of the team’s accomplishments. He has his eyes set on one more trophy: the national championship.