Mater Dei's Bryce Young could be Alabama's next starting quarterback (column)
The door is officially open for Mater Dei's Bryce Young to be Alabama's starting quarterback in 2020.
Tua Tagovailoa, who threw 76 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions as Alabama's starting QB the last two seasons, announced Monday he will skip his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Young flipped his commitment from USC to Alabama in late September, then officially signed with the Crimson Tide on Dec. 18. He graduated from Mater Dei in December and will begin the spring semester at Alabama this week. With Tagovailoa's departure, Young will have a great opportunity to win the starting job as a true freshman.
Young will compete with Mac Jones and Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua's brother, for the QB1 title next season. Jones will be a redshirt junior this fall. He led Alabama to a 35-16 Citrus Bowl win over Michigan last week. Taulia Tagovailoa will be a redshirt freshman after playing sparingly this past season.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban hasn't been afraid to turn to a freshman quarterback in the past. Saban went with Tua in favor of Jalen Hurts in the second half of Alabama's National Championship game two years ago against Georgia. Tua went on to lead the Crimson Tide to a win in overtime and was named the starter the next season.
2020 is a different scenario, but without a clear-cut starting quarterback returning for Alabama, Young will get a shot. He was the sixth ranked player and top quarterback in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports. Young threw 58 touchdowns and only six interceptions as a senior at Mater Dei.
Young is a special talent, special enough to start Alabama's 2020 opener against ... USC.
