Bryce Young explains what it would mean to be first Alabama quarterback to win Heisman Trophy

NEW YORK — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has the chance to make history in Saturday night’s Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Young is the heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, and if he manages to take home the hardware, he’ll be just the fourth player in program history to win it, joining Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020). But a Heisman Trophy win would also mark the start of a new club in Tuscaloosa, a far more exclusive group of which Young would be the only member.

If his name is called, Young would become the first quarterback in Alabama program history to win the Heisman Trophy.

“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, decked out in a black-velvet suit, sharing a table with Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Young has led Alabama to a 12-1 record in 2021, including an SEC Championship title against the Georgia Bulldogs. He’s completed 68 percent of his passes, good for 4,322 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and he’s added three rushing touchdowns to his season total. Despite what he’s accomplished, time and time again, Young emphasized in New York that he wasn’t concerned with individual trophies, only team distinctions. That said, if the individual honor does come his way, it’s something he won’t take lightly, being the first Crimson Tide quarterback to ever do so.

He mentioned being able to learn directly from Mac Jones, a 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist, while “being around Tua a little bit and then to Jalen (Hurts),” experience that would be valuable in his Heisman Trophy appearance. However, Young acknowledged that Alabama’s quarterback history reaches far beyond his era, and he said he would not underestimate the meaning of being the first.

“Just to hear that history and just to hear what (other quarterbacks have) meant to the program and meant to all the coaches and people that they’ve encountered, that’s something I don’t take lightly at all,” Young said Saturday. “For me trying to live up to that standard and build off of it and to make them proud means a lot to me.”

The 2021 Heisman Trophy ceremony will be broadcasted on ESPN Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. Win or lose, Young said he’s just thrilled to be in New York, representing his team, the Alabama program and all Alabama quarterbacks.

“I’m just happy to be here for this weekend,” Young said. “This experience has been amazing. Whatever happens tonight, I’m just happy to be here this weekend. But 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.”