Everything Alabama DL Byron Young said ahead of Utah State

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Tuesday, Alabama defensive lineman Byron Young spoke to the media for the first time during preseason practice. With his fourth and final season only days away from officially getting underway, the senior is looking to leave his mark on the Crimson Tide program.

Below, you can check out everything Young said during his media availability.

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On what’s different about Alabama’s OL compared to last year…

“This year I think that they’re just all together. You know, they’ve come together really, really well. We had Tyler Steen come in and transfer from Vanderbilt, and he’s been a great addition to our offensive line. We’ve seen some guys kinda rotate in and try to figure out the best lineup, but I think they’ve really come together. I think they pass block really well. I think they run block really well too. They’ve done a great job protecting Bryce during our periods when we’re doing good-on-good. So I think they’re coming together really well.”

On why he came back for his senior season…

“I felt like I had unfinished business. I felt like last year we kind of left off where I don’t want to leave off. Also just with my education, I wanted to finish my degree. That’s something that my mom really wanted me to do when she talked to me about it. So really just wanting to finish it off on the right foot, and then wanting to get my degree.”

On what he’s seen from Utah State RB Calvin Tyler Jr…

“You know, I’ve seen a lot. We weren’t able to watch the game live when they were playing this past week, but I went back and I watched it whenever I got home. He does look really good. He’s a really elusive guy. He has really great balance, and it’ll be a challenge for us. It’ll be a challenge.”

On Alabama freshman DL Jaheim Oatis…

“I’ve seen a lot from Jaheim. We’re from the same place. He’s from Mississippi. I’m from Mississippi. So I’ve seen a lot of him. I’ve been proud of him. And he came in ready to work right away. He lost a lot of weight, and he’s been learning and plays really, really well. He’s been great. He’s just been great overall.”

On Alabama DL Jamil Burroughs…

“I’ve seen a lot from Jamil too. I’ve seen a lot of maturing. I’ve seen a lot more consistency from him. I’ve seen him making plays consistently during practice, during scrimmages. He’s learned the plays a lot better. He’s communicating a lot more, so I’ve seen a lot from him.”

On who wins good-on-good between the OL-DL…

“I mean personally, I’ve gotta say defensive line. You know, I think we get the best of them. But in all honesty man, it’s a great back-and-forth. Those are great players that we have over there. And we have great players on the defensive line, so I think that it probably evens out most of the time. One day they might get us, and the next day, we might get them. So it’s something that really I would probably say evens out.”

On how Alabama’s leadership has come along on the DL…

“I think it’s coming along pretty well. DJ was a leader on the team last year.  I think I’ve had to do a little bit more this year.  I’ve had to be a little bit more vocal. I’m trying to lead by more than just by speaking, so I think we have really good leaders— not just me and DJ, but Justin Eboigbe as well. We all came in the same year. So I really feel like we’ve done a great job trying to bring the younger guys along and just making sure in our room and as a defense and as a team in total we’re getting where we need to be.”

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