"He had watched almost everything" - When Mac Jones' prep made Bryce Young realize the scrutiny of playing at Alabama level

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has struggled in the NFL, temporarily losing his place to Andy Dalton last season before regaining it. Before his NFL struggles, Young was a prolific quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide, even winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy.

Despite being a five-star prospect and the No. 1-ranked player in the country according to 247Sports, Young was the backup to Mac Jones at Alabama during his freshman season (2020).

During a 2022 segment of the "ESPN College Football Show," Young revealed how he dealt with being the backup quarterback and watching Jones prepare.

"I would be lying if I said that wasn't difficult," Young said (2:30). "Kinda had to have that shift. Really, after the first few games and realizing that Mac is the guy and this is gonna be my role for the year.

"Am I gonna be bitter, am I gonna be mad or am I gonna understand the opportunity that I have, and that opportunity was to learn and to grow and to see someone like Mac, a great player, a great leader, have the success that he had and be able to really see what it takes to do that.

"I remember we were talking about something in QB meetings, and we kept going through different cut-ups. And Mac was there, and he had almost watched everything there was to watch. And I was like, 'Wow, this is the level of preparation that it takes at this level. And that's the level I wanna reach.'"

Despite being Mac Jones' backup, Bryce Young played in nine games, finishing the season with 156 passing yards and one touchdown.

Bryce Young's Alabama career

Bryce Young became the first Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021 after taking the QB1 spot as Mac Jones departed for the big league. Young finished the season with 4,872 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding three rushing touchdowns.

Young led the Crimson Tide to a 45-20 Sugar Bowl win over the Kansas State Wildcats during his junior year in a year that Nick Saban's team finished with an 11-2 record with near misses denying them a chance in the national championship game.

Bryce Young finished his illustrious Alabama career with 8,356 passing yards on 65.8% completion, resulting in 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while adding 162 rushing yards for seven rushing touchdowns. He was picked No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers.