Bryce Young credits Mac Jones for helping him develop at Alabama

NEW YORK — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has a chance to become the first quarterback in program history to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, just one year after Mac Jones finished as a runner-up to his teammate, DeVonta Smith.

Young arrived in Tuscaloosa last year as a five-star freshman, but he found himself on the bench, watching and learning as Jones took over as Alabama’s starter. Jones had a terrific season at the helm, setting an NCAA single-season record with a 77.4 completion percentage, coupled with 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He won the national championship with Alabama and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2020, then was later drafted by the Patriots with the 15th-overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Now, one year later, Young is following in Jones’ footsteps, becoming a household name not just in Alabama but across the country. Widely seen as a heavy favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy hardware on Saturday, Young has thrown for 4,322 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, all while leading Alabama to an SEC Championship win and No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. On Friday, hours after Young arrived in New York, he stood next to the Heisman Trophy and credited Mac Jones for mentoring him, allowing him to reach this stage.

“I learned a lot from him,” Young said of Jones. “For me, being a freshman, Mac being there and being such an experienced, veteran leader, having the amazing season like he did — for that being my intro to college football, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the sport. For him to have all the success he did last year, and for me to be able to sit back and watch what it took behind the scenes, all the hard work, all the preparation, added to the leadership that group had and Mac had.

“For me to understand the standard that we set at the university, it helped me develop tremendously being able to learn from him.”

Evidently, Jones’ leadership helped Young turn into a leader in his own regard. In truth, Young has done far more than what’s expected of a sophomore quarterback, let alone a first-year starter; amidst his Heisman hopeful campaign, he’s helped Alabama regain its status atop the college football world in an unexpected fashion. In the latest edition of the Iron Bowl, with Alabama trailing by a touchdown, Jones and the Crimson Tide offense received the ball at their own 3-yard line with just over a minute left to go. He orchestrated a perfect, 12-play, 97-yard drive with poise, scoring a touchdown to tie the game and eventually surviving the near-upset to Auburn.

Thanks to Jones, Young has become a better leader in those crunch-time moments. All the while, he has become a more confident quarterback in Alabama’s offense.

“I think you have to have confidence in yourself to play at this level and to be successful,” Young said Friday. “For me, the confidence came from work that you put in in the offseason, during the season or whatever it is. Seeing the people around, seeing how hard my teammates are working, seeing how hard the coaches are working, what goes into it that not everyone gets to see.”