Nick Saban: Alabama's philosophical change opened door for Bryce Young's Heisman Trophy

NEW YORK — Bryce Young became the fourth player to win the Heisman Trophy in the Nick Saban era on Saturday, but he was the first quarterback to do so. According to Saban, Alabama made a philosophical change a few years back, which eventually opened the door for a candidate like Young.

Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2007. From his arrival until 2015, Alabama had five Heisman Trophy finalists and two Heisman Trophy winners: Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015). Three of the five finalists in that span were running backs, and Saban explained why that was the case Saturday. Simply put: “we were more of a running team,” Saban said, adding that Alabama would “play good defense,” which at the time was enough to win ballgames.

But since then, Saban has been forced to change play styles, leading to Heisman-contending performances from Young and other recent Alabama quarterbacks.

“When we played the teams that were spread teams that went fast, that threw RPOs, we lost a couple games,” Saban said. “And I said if we can’t beat them, we need to join them. So we kind of changed styles, changed style of player, changed style of quarterback, and we still want great runners and we want to have great balance.”

Since 2015, Alabama has had four finalists in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (2018), quarterback Mac Jones (2020), wide receiver DeVonta Smith (2020) and, of course, Young in 2021. Three quarterbacks and even a receiver, with Smith and Young winning two consecutive Heisman Trophies. The change in play style is reflected both on the Heisman Trophy ballot and on the stat sheets. Alabama throws more now than it did in years past: this season, Young completed 68 percent of his passes for 4,322 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

“We changed philosophies, and I think we benefitted from it,” Saban said. “Hopefully we can continue to get the kind of players to be interested in Alabama that we continue to have that kind of success.”

Thanks to the philosophical change — thanks to Saban saying “if we can’t beat them, we need to join them,” Alabama became the third school in modern history to win consecutive Heisman Trophies (Oklahoma in 2017-18, USC in 2004-05). And if the last few ballots have been any indication, they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Saban on what separates Young’s success from other Alabama quarterbacks

Nick Saban has produced a number of great quarterbacks since he arrived in Tuscaloosa, with several having gone to the NFL, but Bryce Young will forever be the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.

For that, Young is different from the rest. But as Saban made clear after his Heisman Trophy victory on Saturday night, there’s more that separates Young from the pack — without him, the 2021 Crimson Tide team, which was inexperienced and in need of a steady presence, may not have had the 12-1, SEC Championship-winning season it did.

“You’re right about one thing: I don’t compare players,” Saban said Saturday night. “I think they were all outstanding players in their own way. I think they all have a little different style in terms of how they had success.”

Young’s success has been a 68 percent completion rate 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 his poise came at a time when Alabama needed it most.

“This year’s team was a young team. A lot of the other teams that we’ve had have been older with lots of really good players, and the quarterback didn’t need to be maybe the focal point that Bryce had to be on this team this year with eight new starters on offense,” Saban said. “It was a work in progress that he certainly engineered very tactfully.”

Young won the Heisman Trophy in just his first year as Alabama’s starting quarterback. A sophomore, Young is just 20 years old, making him the sixth-youngest player to ever take home the distinction, trailing only Lamar Jackson, Jameis Winston, Mark Ingram, Rashaan Salaam and Archie Griffin.

“(Young has) a presence and a leadership that is performance-based. Made all those guys gain confidence and get better,” Saban said. “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.”

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

“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 Saturday, just hours before he became the first quarterback in program history to take home the Heisman. “I take a lot of pride in doing what I can to make those guys proud and continue the history and continue that legacy of Alabama quarterbacks.”