Kirby Smart shares what makes Bryce Young an elite quarterback

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs will have their hands full prepping for the SEC Championship game, as the top-ranked defense will face Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

While Smart led Georgia to another dominating performance in rivalry week, steamrolling Georgia Tech 45-0, Alabama barely snuck past a struggling Auburn team in the Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide won just 24-22 in four overtime periods, and Young had one of his least productive performances to date, completing just 49 percent of his passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Regardless of his early-game struggles, Young made it count when it mattered most, throwing a perfectly-placed game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. According to Smart, even after an off week, Young is not to be taken lightly.

“The quarterback — his ability to get them (the receivers) the ball,” Smart said, when asked what makes Bryce Young an elite signal caller. “They’re really elite wideouts, but what puts them over the top is the distributor. I mean, he is an incredible athlete, player, decision-maker. What he doesn’t get enough credit for is when the play breaks down, his skill set to deliver the ball, make people miss, set up rushers.”

Young has earned the Heisman frontrunner position and for good reason — his performance two weeks ago only furthered that narrative. Arkansas, which was ranked in the AP Top 25 heading into the matchup in Tuscaloosa, managed to put up a fight in a 35-42 loss, but Alabama again reigned supreme thanks to Young completing 31 of his 40 passing attempts, good for 559 passing yards and five touchdowns. He had a terrific day through the air, finding nine different Crimson Tide receivers with five notching three-plus receptions.

So far this season, Young has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 3,901 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, coupled with just four interceptions. His interception against Auburn was his first in six games, with the last coming on Oct. 9 in a road loss — Alabama’s only loss of the season — to the Texas A&M Aggies.

“He’s like a point guard,” Smart said of Young. “He’s like an elite point guard that can distribute the ball. When he’s dribbling down the court, he can throw it over there, go over there and then he can make you miss. He almost fakes rushers. He sits back there, very patient, keeps his eyes down field, great composure, but he makes those guys even better. Because while there might be other guys out there, they don’t have a distributor that can get them the ball. He does a tremendous job. I think O’Brien and them do a great job of putting them in positions that they’re hard to cover. They mix up where they put them.”

Young has never thrown more than one interception in a game this year, and he’s only been held to less than 240 passing yards once, a beatdown against Mercer where he was replaced relatively early in the game. Smart’s defense at Georgia, on the other hand, allows just 152 passing yards per game, while forcing nine interceptions and 15 fumbles. It’ll be a tough task for Smart’s defense, sure — but it may be even more difficult for Young.

Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are currently four-point favorites over Young’s Alabama Crimson Tide, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 4.