Bryce Young shares thoughts on transfers Jermaine Burton, Jahmyr Gibbs

Bryce Young is losing a lot of his top offensive weapons from last year’s Heisman-winning campaign.

First off, the Alabama quarterback will see his top running back Brian Robinson off to the NFL after rushing for 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. But that’s not all. Young is also hoping the Tide can replace three of his four favorite targets in the passing game — Jameson Williams, John Metchie and Slade Bolden. That’s no easy task.

Fortunately for him, Alabama has added two players out of the transfer portal to help alleviate those losses.

Those additions are former Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton and former Georgia Tech running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Both are established offensive talents well-known around the college football world, and both should make an immediate impact for the Tide. But what does Young think of his two new weapons?

Speaking to the media for the first time since Alabama’s national title loss to Georgia back in early January, the rising junior finally got a chance to share his thoughts. First, he was asked about his ongoing relationship with Burton, which dates back to his high school days.

“Jermaine’s someone that I knew before he transferred here,” Young told reporters. “He was in California his last two years and we’ve been to the same camps, been in the same circles, so he was someone that I knew before college. He’s someone who came in and really has a really professional mindset as far as early, right when he transferred in, he wanted to know the plays, wanted to know the system, meeting with Wiggs, meeting with and talking with me and asking me questions about how we did stuff, how our operation worked, certain routes, the specifics. He’s someone who has worked hard to catch up as quickly as possible and kind of bridge that gap.”

What is Alabama’s new quarterback-wide receiver combination doing to get on the same page though? According to Young, the two have already held a few extra throwing sessions to get ahead of that chemistry-building process. Those were before spring practice officially got underway.

“Before spring starts, especially when it’s newer faces, you get those sessions on the side of throwing and trying to get that chemistry down and get a feel for one another,” Young said. “We had a relationship before college, and we’ve had some stuff before spring practice. Getting our first practice in last Friday and then now in attack mode, having these 14 coming up, it’s gonna be big. I’m excited for that.” 

Burton is a guy who can really help the Crimson Tide’s offense.

Despite being a two-year starter for the Bulldogs, he only saw 82 targets in Athens. For comparison, Williams saw 115 targets just last season and Metchie got 204 over the last two years. Burton did what he could with those limited opportunities, bringing in 53 catches for 901 yards and 8 touchdowns.

He’s expected to get a lot more usage in Tuscaloosa.

The other transfer player being added to Alabama’s offense is Gibbs. This is a 5-foot-11, 200-pound ball of electricity. In his two seasons at Georgia Tech, he was an impact runner, receiver and return man for the Yellow Jackets. In total, he had 1,979 yards on offense and added another 794 yards in the return game. Plus, he scored 14 touchdowns.

Apparently, Gibbs is adjusting well to life at Alabama.

“Jahmyr has worked really hard,” Young told reporters. “He’s done a great job of coming in and again, he’s someone who has really taken to the offense really well. Someone who’s done the little things right in our conditioning and every week, he was winning an award being one of the top performers. You know, someone who came in and looked good, and worked and ran well last week.”

Sounds like a great start for Burton and Gibbs.