Once on opposing sides in the SEC, Jonathan Mingo and Bryce Young now teammates in the NFL
Through the college careers of Jonathan Mingo and Bryce Young the two were on opposing sidelines in the Southeastern Conference as Ole Miss and Alabama collided but now the pair are teammates.
The crown jewels of the Carolina Panthers 2023 NFL Draft Class Mingo and Young are now working together as one and the chemistry is already apparent a couple days into rookie camp.
Young was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Panthers in last month’s draft while Mingo was selected in the second round as the 39th overall pick. Choosing the former Alabama quarterback and Ole Miss receiver in the first two picks the Panthers made it a clear indication overhauling the offense was priority number one.
First year head coach Frank Reich went all in to get Young as the overall top pick and did not waste time in choosing Mingo early on the second day of the draft.
Now the duo is expected to be major players this fall as the Panthers work to become a contender in the NFC South division once more.
“Bryce hit me up after the draft. Told me congratulations,” Mingo told local reporters on Friday after opening day of camp. “Told me he’s a big fan of my game. So, we’ve been chopping it up the last few weeks. We’ve been going over the playbook, making sure we know the ins and outs of the playbook. Make sure we know the script so we can have our timing down.”
Prior to arriving in Charlotte for camp Mingo and Young got together on their own time to begin that chemistry and timing.
“It’s fun playing with Bryce,” Mingo added.
Mingo is very familiar with Young’s game after watching him the last few years on the Ole Miss sideline.
Ole Miss came close to upsetting Alabama during Mingo’s time in Oxford and was a key part of big moments in the series during those four seasons. He played in only three games against the Crimson Tide after missing the 2021 game due to an injury that kept him out of six other games that year.
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Still, Mingo is aware of what Young can bring to an offense and how the quarterback makes his receivers better. Now he gets to experience that success instead of rooting against it on the opposing sideline.
“It’s a good thing. I’ve been on the opposite of Bryce the last few years,” Mingo said with a smile. “I’m (0-3) against him. So, it’s finally a blessing to be on his side. We just got to keep building our chemistry and just try to help the team win.”
The respect between Mingo and Young is a two-way street and the former Crimson Tide signal caller knows what Mingo can do to help elevate his own game.
“For me it was cool. I was able to watch (Mingo) a lot while I was in college,” Young said. “Obviously, I didn’t know that we’d be teammates. But, you know, him playing at Ole Miss I was always watching film on Ole Miss and always liked him as a receiver. Now being able to work with him and talk with him. …Wanting to be prepared. Wanting to be the best versions of ourselves to help the team. We both feel the same way about that.”
The Panthers have not announced the official signing of contracts by Mingo and Young but first and second round draft picks sometimes take a little longer to agree to terms and put pen to paper.
