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Five things to know about Bryce Young

Bryce Young

CHARLOTTE – Bryce Young is a Carolina Panther.

The Panthers selected their quarterback of the future with the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft. Young, 21, played college football at Alabama and was coached by Nick Saban before declaring for the draft after his junior season. Here are five things to know about him.

1. Crimson Tide career: Young went 23-4 in two seasons as Alabama's starting quarterback, winning two bowl games and putting up more than 8,300 passing yards with 80 passing touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He added another seven touchdowns on the ground.

Saban praised Young's abilities at his pro day in March, telling NFL Network he was "as good as having a coach on the field."

2. Heisman Trophy winner: Young's college career started with winning college football's highest honor after his sophomore campaign, taking home the Heisman Trophy in 2021. He was the first Alabama quarterback to win the award after passing for 4,872 yards and 47 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions with three rushing touchdowns in his first year as the starter, leading the Southeastern Conference in passing yards and passing touchdowns that season.

He led the Crimson Tide to a 13-2 record that season, including an SEC championship title and College Football Playoff berth. Alabama won its semifinal game against Cincinnati that season and lost to Georgia in the national championship that year.

He's the fifth Heisman winner in Panthers history, joining Vinny Testaverde (1986), Chris Weinke (2000), Cam Newton (2010), and Baker Mayfield (2017).

3. Top prospect in high school: Young was already a highly touted quarterback from Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) in 2020. He was given a five-star rating according to the 247Sports Composite and was ranked the No. 1 prospect in the country before he committed to Alabama.

Young earned several accolades in high school, including the Gatorade Player of the Year award for California, High School Quarterback of the Year by the National Quarterback Club, and 2019 All-American Bowl Player of the Year honors.

4. Leaning on faith: Young is often outspoken about his Christian faith on social media, describing himself as a "Follower of Christ" in his Twitter bio and

"I'm based in faith," Young said in an interview with last September with Sports Spectrum. "I'm blessed to have the family that I do that introduced me (to faith) when I was young. Throughout my life, my relationship has grown with the Lord, and my faith has improved. Through that, I work to be the best version of myself that I can be and to embody Christ in all that I do."

5. Family background: Young's parents, Craig and Julie, raised him mainly in Pasadena, California, after he was born in Philadelphia. His father is a mental health therapist, while his mother is a teacher.

Young majored in psychology at Alabama and told Sports Illustrated in an interview that his favorite class was social psychology.

He said it helped him to "self-reflect on how you're processing things socially and also how others perceive things and tend to act socially," calling the lesson "really applicable."

View photos of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, drafted by Carolina first overall in the first round of the 2023 Draft.

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