Bryce Young Revealing He Drove For DoorDash In Disguise While At Alabama Exemplifies Why NIL Is Great Thing

Young, a five-star recruit in the Class of 2020, was the No. 1 player in the country upon arrival to Tuscaloosa. Alabama fans knew exactly who he was and what he looked like (even though he was not the starter in Year 1) which made things tricky.

Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on December 12, 2020.(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Although Young was the most sought-after player in the country, he was not being compensated. College athletes were still a year away from being able to profit through NIL.

There was no way for Young to get a little extra jingle jangle in his pockets, legally, without working. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So that's exactly what he did!

Bryce Young went to work.

The star quarterback picked up a side hustle with DoorDash. That created some challenges.

As the five-star quarterback, he couldn't go anywhere without being recognized. To avoid the awkwardness and excitement that comes with such an interaction, Young went incognito.

He would wear his mask and a hoodie, and tried to only accept orders that asked him to leave it on the doorstep without having to knock on the door or hand off the food. All undercover.

NIL went into effect on July 1, 2021— ahead of Young's sophomore season, his first as the starter. That allowed him to drop the DoorDash gig and cash-in.

Young reportedly earned around $3.5 million through deals with companies like Nissan, Subway, Dr. Pepper and Cash App over his latter two years at Alabama. That number was just a little bit more than what he was making driving food around Tuscaloosa as a freshman!

A world in which colleges and universities profited from their athletes while the athletes were forced to work an additional job on the side is one that never made sense. That is no longer the case.

NIL is a great thing for the athletes and Bryce Young is the perfect example.