Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young spent part of the bye week back where it all took off for him: Tuscaloosa.
With Carolina idle, Young made his way to Alabama for the showdown between the No. 6 Crimson Tide and No.
2 Georgia on Saturday night, the biggest game on the college football calendar this weekend. ESPN’s College GameDay was on hand, and Young served as the special guest picker alongside Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee and his former college coach Nick Saban.
As Young walked in through the stands, he linked up with Jess Sims, who asked him what Alabama meant to him. While he answered, the crowd broke into “MVP” chants. Young called Tuscaloosa “special” and “electric,” and said he was excited to be back in that atmosphere.
He also spoke about the people who helped shape him at Alabama, pointing to the program’s influence on his development as a quarterback. That included Saban, whom Young said held him accountable during his time there and from whom he learned plenty.
Young’s path to Alabama wasn’t straightforward. He had originally committed to USC, and because he’s from California, that fit made sense at the time.
But Alabama kept pushing, eventually flipping him from the Trojans. That move paid off in a big way for both sides: Young won the Heisman Trophy and became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to take home the award.
That college run helped set up the next step, too. Young went No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and through the first four weeks of this season, he has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His strong play has helped get the Panthers to 2-2, coming off a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.
Now, with the bye week giving Carolina a break before the final 13 games, Young got a chance to revisit the place where his rise really accelerated.
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