Bryce Young reveals who inspired him to love football

Bryce Young made history Saturday night – becoming the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. Now with Heisman, Associated Press Player of the Year, SEC Offensive Player of the Year and Crimson Tide Most Valuable Player honors under his belt, Young has made a big name for himself in just his first season as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback.

Young, who’s thrown for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions in 2021, has guided Alabama to a 12-1 overall mark and the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff. 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.

During Young’s weekend in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, the Tide’s signal-caller was asked who inspired him to love football – and he didn’t have to take any time answering it.

“Yeah, I’d definitely say my dad,” Young said. “He had played and then he was always – obviously always a big football fan. We were always watching games and watching football together. He was always super passionate about it, and he was always super supportive. Yeah, I’d definitely say my dad is my biggest inspiration.”

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).

Nick Saban reveals when he knew Bryce Young could win Heisman

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 the 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.”