Alabama Settles On A Starting Quarterback

Mac Jones' shoe size isn't listed, but everyone can agree he left Alabama's next signal caller big shoes to fill. After an offseason quarterback competition, Bama has officially found someone to slide into Jones' role. Bryce Young, long viewed as the favorite to earn the starting gig, has been officially named the starter ahead of Alabama's opener against the Miami Hurricanes.

Young, a sophomore, played in nine games last fall, completing 13 of his 22 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown. He was the top backup to Jones, who went on to be drafted by New England in the first round of April's NFL Draft. Though he's yet to start a game, Young's being paid like a top gunslinger. Thanks to the NCAA's name, image, and likeness policy, the former five-star recruit is already pocketing close to seven figures.

“I’m super excited,” Young told reporters Monday. “It’s always exciting being able to go into a game week with my teammates and with my brothers, and really going into a new environment to start the season is very exciting."

Young's first opportunity to step under center as the starter comes this Saturday when the Crimson Tide square off with Miami. When he does, he'll have the full support of head coach Nick Saban:

"Bryce has done a nice job. I think he's very confident. He understands the offense really well. He's accurate with the ball. As I've mentioned before, the focus has been, can we get the players around them to play a little bit better with him? So that's going to help him probably be able to execute a little bit better, and that's been what we both worked hard on and I think we're making good progress in that regard.”

Coming off an undefeated season that culminated in a national championship, Alabama enters the fall as the top ranked team in the country.