"Other people don't take responsibility" - When Nick Saban called out Bryce Young's teammates for overdependence on Alabama QB

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has coached many talented players in his legendary career. One of the best was quarterback Bryce Young who tallied 4,872 yards resulting in 47 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding three rushing touchdowns in 2021 to win the coveted Heisman Trophy.

During an interview with Josh Pate at the SEC Media Days in Jul. 2023, the retired coach called out Young's teammates for over-relying on the quarterback during the 2022 season.

"I can't totally put my finger on it but I think there was really high expectations for last year's team," Saban said (1:35). "Probably because of Bryce Young and the great player that he was.

"And sometimes I think that when you have a team that has a couple of great players, maybe the other people don't take the responsibility and the accountability to do their part as well because they're thinking, 'These guys are gonna carry us so whatever.'"

The said season was characterized by close losses 52-49 to the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville and 32-31 to the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge culminating in them missing out on the college football playoffs.

Alabama won the Sugar Bowl 45-20 against the Kansas State Wildcats.

When Nick Saban defended Bryce Young

Nick Saban has become a fan favorite due to his cutting-edge analysis and witty anecdotes in his role as an analyst on ESPN's beloved pre-game show "College GameDay."

During the 2024 season, Bryce Young was benched by Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales in Week 2 in favor of Andy Dalton and his former coach came to his defense with a passionate breakdown of the structures around the quarterback on a segment of the "Pat McAfee Show."

"You guys have heard me say before, quarterback is a really hard position to play if the people around you don't play well," Saban said.

"Now I think sometimes the quarterback gets too much credit and I also think sometimes when things don't go well, the quarterback gets too much blame. Do they have the kind of players around Bryce Young that even gives him a chance to be successful? "

"That's one of the bad things about being the first guy picked in the draft, you may go to a team that doesn't have all the pieces that you need," Saban added.

"Carolina did not and they have to build this thing from the ground up. I hate to see Bryce get benched, but I also don't see a lot of opportunity for him to be successful based on the skill players they have around him, the offensive line they have around him and I think he's the type of player that can operate well when he has good players around him."

Bryce Young was restored as the Carolina Panthers' starting quarterback in Week 8 and he wound up finishing the season with 2,104 passing yards resulting in 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding five rushing touchdowns.