A quarterback who already has a national championship ring. A coordinator who has spent 12 years in the NFL. Welcome to a snapshot of the two most important pieces to the Alabama rebuild of 2021.
Despite their experience and their jewelry, both Bryce Young and Bill O'Brien have something to prove. In different ways, obviously.
Young, the five-star quarterback phenom from Southern California, mostly watched as Mac Jones led the Crimson Tide to a sixth national championship under Nick Saban in 2020. O'Brien watched a lot, too, after being fired four games into the Houston Texans' season. Now he's back to being a college offensive coordinator for the first time since 2006.
If they don't come through the way their predecessors did, the Alabama dynasty will be shaken. See what we mean by important? Hey, no pressure guys.
"Saban sets that standard for us immediately in recruiting when we step in that building," Young said. "It's not something I've been blindsided by. Honestly, I don't think it's something unique to me. Everyone in the building has those expectations."
Young marks a return to the dual-threat talents of Tua Tagovailoa. O'Brien had experience in that realm with the Texans having drafted, developed, coached and eventually left a similar talent in Deshaun Watson.
O'Brien will succeed because offensive coordinators usually do under Saban at Alabama. Steve Sarkisian, now at Texas, just finished one of the greatest play-calling seasons in history. Mike Locksley, now at Maryland, went 14-1 with Tagovailoa in 2018. Brian Daboll won a national championship in his one and only season in 2017. Lane Kiffin is famous for being the coordinator who installed the spread under Saban.
"It varies from year to year based on the type of offensive philosophy and type of players you have," O'Brien said. "I don't think you can label anybody."
It's impossible to label O'Brien. He spent three years with Tom Brady during his five years with the New England Patriots, so there's that Bill Belichick influence. He spent four years with Watson. In between, he resurrected Penn State from the absolute bottom after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
His quarterbacks in State College there were the immortal Matt McGloin and Christian Hackenberg. Somehow, he squeezed two winning seasons out of those Nittany Lions (15 wins total) despite massive NCAA penalties incurred before his arrival.
"He's a straight shooter," said Craig Young, Bryce's father, of O'Brien. "He has coached Brady, Watson and everything in between. It's always and adjustment when the guy [Sarkisian] who recruited your son and recruited the family, leaves.
"But once he came in and spoke, I automatically knew this was the guy that I felt could take Bryce to the next level. I can't speak highly enough of him. … You replace the best play caller in football [Sarkisian] with a former NFL head coach and GM. Only at Alabama could they do something like that."
All we know about Young is how he performed in his dutiful backup role last season (13 of 22 passing, 156 yards) and a breakout spring game (25 for 44 passing, 333 yards). Neither of those performances necessarily prepare an Alabama quarterback to carry on a legacy.
Here are list of the last eight first-time, full-season quarterback starters at Bama:
- Mac Jones (2020): 77.4%, 4,500 yds, 41 TD, 4 INT, national championship
- Tua Tagovailoa (2018): 69%, 3,966 yds, 43 TD, 6 INT
- Jalen Hurts (2017): 60.6%, 2,780 yds, 23 TD, 9 INT, national championship
- Blake Barnett (2016): Replaced in the first quarter of opener, never started again
- Jake Coker (2015): 66.9%, 3,110 yds, 21 TD, 8 INT, national championship
- Blake Sims (2014): 64.4%, 3,487 yds, 28 TD, 10 INT, school total offense record
- A.J. McCarron (2011): 66.8%, 2,634 yds, 16 TD, 5 INT, national championship
- Greg McElroy (2009): 60.6 %, 2,508 yds, 17 TD, 4 INT, national championship
You might notice five of the eight won national titles. Young seems just chill enough to add his name on the list. Missing a Heisman Trophy winner (Devonta Smith), the leading rusher (Najee Harris) and three other first-round draft choices on offense just from last season, he is not about to make excuses.
Is that too much to lose? Pro Football Focus took a look at all the quarterbacks recruited since the Class of 2014. Only three who started within their first two seasons -- without any previous starts -- achieved a PFF passing grade of at least 90.0.
So if you want comparisons, think of Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma, 2020), Justin Fields (Ohio State, 2019) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson, 2018). It's that kind of rarified air Young is breathing.
He is also part of an unprecedented group of elite California quarterbacks who headed East.
Young replaced current Georgia quarterback JT Daniels at Santa Ana, California, powerhouse Mater Dei where they hang Heisman banners. When C.J. Stroud was named starter at Ohio State, that made it four California starters at the three of the top four-ranked teams in the country: No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Clemson (D.J. Uiagalelei) and No. 4 Ohio State. They grew up within 60 miles of each other before traveling a combined 8,806 miles to play their college careers.
"Kids want to compete for championships," Craig Young said. "Right now, the Pac-12 isn't really offering [that] legitimately."
"It's been a cultural adjustment being a SoCal kid," Bryce Young said. "It's a lot different being in the South. The South has been super welcoming. Really, the love I've been shown and seeing how things are a little different, I'm really happy to be in this new environment."
Before he throws a pass as a starter, Young's name, image and likeness fame is already assured. Saban said last month his quarterback was earning close to $1 million in NIL endorsements. Surprised? Don't be. Young is part of the same firm (Creative Artist Agency) that represents his coach. Saban has been with CAA's Jimmy Sexton for years.
Membership in a dynasty has its privileges.
"There's obviously expectations," Young said. "For me, regardless of what happened in high school or any past experience I've had, coming to Bama is where you come for pressure and where you come for expectations."
