Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
Alabama

Stephen A. Smith stands on the table for Bryce Young to repeat as Heisman winner

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•09/16/22•

NickSchultz_7

On3 image
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After becoming the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy last year, Bryce Young is doing all he can to go back-to-back. The oddsmakers say he’s a favorite, and he had a potential “Heisman moment” on a game-winning drive against Texas last week.

Count Stephen A. Smith among the group who thinks Young can do it again.

During Friday’s edition of “First Take” alongside Marcus Spears, Smith stood on the table for Young to repeat as the Heisman winner. He cited Young’s performance against Texas as a reason why, especially considering he played through high heat and had a record-setting crowd cheering against him.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“[CJ] Stroud, I’m not hating on that. I’m not hating on that. But dammit, he ain’t [at] Alabama, OK?” Smith said. “I’m going with Bryce Young … who got about 83% of the vote last year. I’m watching this playmaker in that hostile confines of Austin, Texas with the heat and the humidity and 100,000 people descending down upon him with receivers whose names I can’t even remember because dammit, they were that irrelevant.

“And somehow, someway, this brother is weaving and ducking away from oncoming guys coming to slaughter him and sack him and evading tacklers and doing what he can to extend plays and hand them the business and brings out a nail-biter in very hostile confines, alright, there in Austin, Texas. This is who this brother is. I’m going with Bryce Young — again, back-to-back Heisman Trophy winner. That’s what I’m going with.”

Inside Bryce Young’s game-winning drive vs Texas

Texas had a 16-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Young led Alabama on a 75-yard drive to eventually find Jahmyr Gibbs for a go-ahead touchdown. But the Longhorns battled back, but left just enough time for Young to lead the game-winning drive.

His coach was certainly impressed, too.

“I think at the end of the day, he did a great job,” Nick Saban said of Young. “When his best was needed, he was really good. That’s what we needed. We didn’t run the ball very well so w had to spread ’em out. Did a good job of moving the ball. Tough call down there on inches to go for it or kick a field goal, but I just felt like we could go two minutes and kick a field goal if we needed to.”