Alabama is just a week away from beginning its spring camp. To help us pass the time, BamaInsider will take a look at each of the Crimson Tide’s position groups, examining the key storylines and players to watch this spring.
Today we begin with the quarterback position where Bryce Young will look to follow up on Mac Jones’ record-breaking season.
Key storyline: Can Bryce Young be Alabama’s next great quarterback?
At this point last year, there was some chatter about the possibility of Bryce Young beating out Mac Jones for the starting spot behind center. A canceled spring camp due to COVID-19 snuffed out any chance of that scenario. An SEC-only schedule paired with a historical season from Jones then left Young spending the majority of his first season watching on the sideline.
In total, the five-star freshman took part in 114 snaps over nine games, completing 13 of 22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Barring a few memorable throws, Young wasn’t given much of an opportunity to display the playmaking ability that saw him named as the top quarterback in last year’s class.
Unlike previous years when Young would have had extended playing time against lesser non-conference opponents, Alabama’s all-SEC regular-season slate left little time for developmental reps. Instead, Young’s appearances almost exclusively came late during blowouts when Alabama was running out the clock.
Oftentimes, that led to Alabama predictably running the ball on first and second downs which set up third-and-longs for Young. Looking to make the most of his limited opportunities, the freshman quarterback had a tendency to hold onto the ball too long as he took six sacks while fumbling the ball twice.
Alabama will need Young to show a bit more maturity behind center this season. Although, that should come as he develops more confidence and gains valuable first-team reps this spring.
Alabama loses its two most talented receivers from last year in DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. However, Young should still have plenty of weapons at his disposal in John Metchie III, Slade Bolden and Jahleel Billingsley. The Tide also returns a potential breakout candidate in Javon Baker while bringing in four Rivals100 receivers in Jacorey Brooks, JoJo Earle, Christian Leary and Agiye Hall.
During his senior year of high school, Young completed 72.6 percent of his passes for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also added another 357 yards and 10 more scores on the ground. As impressive as Jones was last year, it’s not inconceivable to imagine Young playing to a similar standard this season.
Potential sleeper: Paul Tyson
Of Alabama’s three scholarship quarterbacks, Paul Tyson best resembles Jones. Entering his third year with the program, the 6-foot-5, 228-pound pocket passer has yet to attempt a pass during his college career but has a strong, accurate arm and is said to have made significant developmental strides.
Over 24 starts in his high school career, Tyson threw for more than 6,500 yards and 69 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. The great-grandson of Alabama legend Paul “Bear” Bryant is no stranger to the spotlight and should be able to handle the pressure of playing behind center at Alabama.
While the expectation is that Young will earn the starting spot, Tyson will look to give the five-star talent a run for his money this spring. A little competition at the position should aid both quarterbacks’ development moving forward.
What to expect
Don’t expect Nick Saban to name Young the starting quarterback right away. However, it’s hard to imagine Alabama going in a different direction. Outside of Jones, the freshman was the only Tide quarterback to take a snap last season and should enter camp with a healthy advantage over Tyson and incoming freshman Jalen Milroe. Crazier things have happened, but this spring’s quarterback competition figures to lack much of the drama of previous years.
