Bill O’Brien shares early impressions of Bryce Young, what he expects out of a QB
By Keith Farner
Published:
Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien is entering his 29th year coaching football, and this time, he’ll do it with Bryce Young in his first season as the starting quarterback.
O’Brien said he can tell Bryce Young has been well-coached in high school and last year. He also said he’s a very bright player.
“He works really hard, he’s a really good teammate, he cares about the team, and I say that about the whole quarterback room,” O’Brien said. “It’s a really good room, they care about the team, they understand their roles and what they have to do individually to get better to help the team get better, and it’s been fun to coach that room.”
Young takes over from Mac Jones with limited experience. He played in nine games during his first season at Alabama and finished 13-of-22 passing for 156 yards and a touchdown.
O’Brien was asked about comments former Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg said about their time together and the trust between a coach and quarterback. The QB has to be prepared for multiple situations because of the multiplicity on defense, and have the ability to adjust and communicate with teammates.
“The quarterback has to be prepared, has to have the trust of his teammates,” O’Brien said. “The quarterback position and the way it’s evolved over time, it’s really a coach on the field, and that’s the way it’s been here at Alabama and Alabama’s offense and that’s the offense we’re running. We’re running Alabama’s offense.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
