Bryce Young praises teammates after being named team MVP, captain

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has put together a strong season for the Crimson Tide, and his teammates have honored him for his stellar play throughout the 2021 campaign by naming him the team’s Most Valuable Player and a permanent team captain heading into the College Football Playoff.

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 and the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff. The former On3 Consensus five-star quarterback – who’s a finalist for the Heisman Trophy – 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.

Heading into that contest, Young met with the media Tuesday to share his thoughts on what it means to be the Crimson Tide’s MVP and a permanent team captain.

“That means everything to me,” Young said. “The fact that it came from my teammates, it came from my guys and to have the opportunity to win that award and also to be team captain, a permanent team captain … not a lot of people can have that honor, and that’s not something I take lightly at all. I understand that means a lot me. It’s something I take a lot of pride in, and again for it to come from my guys, my teammates – that makes it exponentially sweeter.

“It’s definitely a blessing for me and something I don’t take lightly at all.”

Nick Saban goes in-depth on Bryce Young

It’s no surprise that Alabama has put together another strong football season, but the Crimson Tide certainly had to overcome some adversity to get to where they are now. Nick Saban’s squad suffered a regular-season loss to Texas A&M and then had to compete at a high level against Georgia in order to make the College Football Playoff – and they did that, dominating against the Bulldogs to spoil their perfect season and earn the No. 1 ranking in the playoff.

Although there were times during the regular season when Alabama didn’t play its best, it has taken care of business – and a big reason for that is because of the way quarterback Bryce Young has performed throughout the campaign.

During Sunday’s media availability for Saban and Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell prior to the Alabama-Cincinnati matchup in the Cotton Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31, Saban spoke highly of the way Young has played this year.

“Bryce has played well for us all year long,” Saban said. “I think he’s made some incredible plays down the stretch here in our last couple games that certainly enhanced our chances of being successful in the game. I do think in this last game the players around him played a lot better, which gave him a much better opportunity.”