Bryce Young credits Tua Tagovailoa as big reason he played at Alabama

When Tua Tagovailoa took over as the Alabama starting quarterback in 2018, it began a legendary run at quarterback for the program. The offense completely changed, turning into one of the best in the country on a yearly basis. This helped massively on the recruiting trail, specifically with Bryce Young.

Nick Saban was known for playing great defense while running the ball with elite running backs. He was quickly able to shift toward recruiting elite quarterbacks when the offense changed. None more elite from a recruiting perspective than Young, who wound up being the No. 2 overall player in the 2020 class and a Five-Star Plus+ prospect.

Tagovailoa’s play was why a quarterback recruit like Young had any interest in playing in Tuscaloosa.

“I think as far as my college career, definitely was really big,” Young said. “It was a big reason why I went to Alabama. It was a big transition from when he was there—just, what the offense looked like and what they kinda moved to offensively. And it’s flourished since then. And I was a recruit when all that was happening. So, that was a really, really big reason for me being there.”

Tagovailoa threw for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns during his time with Alabama. He dominated on a weekly basis over his last two years but will always be remembered for one play during his true freshman season. 2nd and 26 will live on famously for the program, walking Georgia off in the national championship game.

Young left his own impact during his time, winning the Heisman Trophy after his incredible 2021 season. He was part of a national championship but played sparingly while Mac Jones continued the new-found tradition of elite offense for Alabama. But had Young not been on the roster these past two season, things could have been rough for Saban.

Now, Tagovailoa and Young are facing off against each other in the NFL. Carolina will travel down to Miami on Sunday afternoon, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. The two quarterbacks may have never been on campus at the same time but there is still a ton of respect coming from Young’s end.

“And I know Tua,” Young said. “I talked to him throughout the years a good amount of times. And just a really good guy. Really good person. Really cool. And I’ve watched a ton of film on him from ‘Bama on.

“Have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a person and definitely him as a player. So, it’s definitely a great opportunity to be able to go against him this weekend.”