Bryce Young is not letting NIL become a distraction for him
The topic of Name, Image, and Likeness is one that permeates conversations around college football on a daily basis. At On3, we’ve even created a page dedicated to all the news one would need regarding NIL developments at the high school and college levels.
Any time that NIL is mentioned, it’s hard not to bring up Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. After all, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $3.1 million. He has also signed deals with a variety of companies, the most recent being a trading card deal with Topps.
At the Manning Passing Academy event in Thibodaux (La.) last week, Young revealed that while he’s taking advantage of NIL, it’s not a distraction for his football obligations.
“I think I’ve been blessed to have the people around me that I do to make sure that it’s not too complicated for me,” Young told BamaOn3 and others. “Everyone on my team knows that nothing I do is ever going to interfere with anything Alabama- or football-related. Also, during the season, anything that I do is a very small pocket of time. Obviously, all of my focus during the season and in camp is on the team.”
Some have voiced concerns regarding the impact of NIL on college athletics. Former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer recently said that “the air is out of the balloon” as everyone is playing by different rules.
For Young, however, he views the implementation of NIL as a net positive for student-athletes.
“The things that are available to do now, I think it’s a big blessing for me and it’s huge for athletes to be able to profit off their Name, Image, and Likeness,” Young said. “Obviously, they haven’t been able to do that for a while. I think that’s huge for us. I’ve been blessed to where it’s not too much for me to handle the vetting, negotiating, all of that. They just come to me with ‘Yes/No,’ when and where, and they also know that nothing is going to go before football.”
Bryce Young says NIL doesn’t dominate locker room conversations
Perhaps the biggest NIL storyline this offseason was the situation that arose between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban. Saban stated on May 18 that Texas A&M “bought every player” in their 2022 class; Fisher vehemently denied those claims a day later, saying that it was “despicable” what Saban said.
While Bryce Young did not directly address the situation when asked about it, he maintained that the players support their head coach.
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“We all love Coach Saban,” Young said. “That’s who we play for. That’s who we came to Alabama for. We all love and have respect for coach. For us, as a team, NIL is something that is great for us and to benefit from. It creates a lot of opportunities, but it’s stuff that isn’t what’s most important… we’re all about ball at Alabama.”
Throughout his media session, Young made it clear that the Crimson Tide are not satisfied with how last season ended. He also stated on multiple occasions that team success trumps any individual accolades he may garner during his time in Tuscaloosa.
Bryce Young finished his comments on the matter by telling the media that he and his teammates don’t discuss NIL much, if at all.
“For us, it really hasn’t come up in conversation,” Young said. “It’s not this big thing that’s going around the locker room about what’s going on. We’re all there to work. We all understand what’s most important is the team and our success. It’s not really a big thing for us.”
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