CHARLOTTE — Jalen Milroe wasn't intimidated, per se. But when Bryce Young walked into the player cafeteria on the University of Alabama campus back in January 2022, Milroe, the newest member of the Crimson Tide, two days into his first semester as a mid-year enrollee, sat up a little straighter, tracked the quarterback as he cut across the room purposely looking for Milroe, and prepared to meet his new mentor who was two days off a National Championship.
"That's the thing, they're coming off the national championship, right?" laughed Milroe last Monday night, the Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback holding court on Super Bowl opening night as a crowd inched closer and closer to the charismatic passer.
But for just a few minutes, he was back in Tuscaloosa, the nervous 18-year-old meeting Bryce Young for the first time, not knowing the consensus All-American would become his guide through college and into the NFL.
"You would think like there's a lot of tension in the quarterback room because only one of us is on the field, and it's not like that everywhere," admitted Milroe. "Everywhere, they have different cultures in the room. (But) when I was in the room with Bryce, that was my brother.
"Some people hate, when they're not playing to get their way, but not with my guy…So when he was on the field, I'm screaming for him. If you look at every touchdown he had, we had a celebration every time he scored. We did a Euro step and followed through."
There is a famous video of Young in college celebrating after a touchdown, then immediately flipping into business mode to talk with Nick Saban.
"That was me and him," smiled Milroe. "I mean, we did that every single game."
That 10-second clip is the epitome of Bryce Young: the ultimate teammate, with the ability to lock in at a moment's notice. It's the true Young which Milroe saw up close every day for two years.
"Your quarterback has to be the most locked-in guy on the team, and it's key with the success rate at quarterback, you've got to have that loose focus mentality," Milroe explained. "He has that.
There is a preconceived notion, arising from an unfounded narrative, that quarterbacks must be loud, brash, and emotional. Some are, and it works for them. Young takes a different approach, tapping into that emotional, fiery side when needed, but never letting it be his baseline. It forged a mindset that Milroe saw up close, and more importantly, saw how it could be successful for the future Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick.
"Not every quarterback is the same; we're all different, and so that happens to be Bryce," posed Milroe. "He's special and unique.
"That's my guy to this day…He's a great dude. He loves football. He loves everything about it. This is a guy who loves being around his teammates. He's going to do everything he can to be successful."
Both quarterbacks also did something unheard of in the world of the transfer portal: they sat on the bench, biding their time until the passer in front of them moved on to the NFL.
"No, it's unique. It's unique because the landscape of college football is soft, and they don't know what the mindset of grit and determination was that was there before, and it's so easy to, when you don't get your way, to go somewhere else and not be grounded," exposed Milroe.
"And so to be able to stay grounded, for guys that do that, I tip my cap off to them."
Knowing that about his former teammate is why Milroe never doubted Young would emerge from whatever the 2023 season was for the Panthers.
"That's something that deserves so much credit," bragged the Seahawks rookie. "It's so easy to give up. It's so easy to frown upon your journey and get discouraged, but the more grounded you are, it shows a respect factor in so many people's eyes.
"So, for him, see where his team went, and they won their division. They're steadily climbing, and so I'm so happy for him."
Young led the Panthers to their first NFC South title since 2015, throwing for a career 63.6 completion percentage, 3,011 yards and a 23 to 11 touchdown to interception ratio with an 87.8 quarterback rating. He also rushed 54 times for 216 yards and two rushing scores.
And while Milroe is understandably now enjoying an offseason as a Super Bowl champion (he backed up Sam Darnold and Drew Lock this season, as Seattle develops the rookie), he'll always have an eye on Bryce Young, tracking him where he goes and learning whatever he can.
"It was so good to see him earlier in the season. We traded jerseys, and it was awesome to see him, awesome to be around him," reminisced Milroe. "Although I'm not with him every day like I was, and we're on a different team, I'm still rooting for him. No matter what team I'm on, I'm going to root for him, and I'm passionate behind Bryce. I'm always going to be passionate about Bryce.
"I love that guy to this day, you know, because our relationship we built in college, and so no matter what, no matter what team he's on, no matter what the journey looks like, I'm going to have his back."
Take a look at some of the best shots of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
The Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Laura Wolff/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers face the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Carolina Panthers face the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers take on the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 9, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in New Orleans, LA.
The Carolina Panthers face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in New Orleans, LA.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. (Photo by Helen McGinnis/Carolina Panthers)
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
The Carolina Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
