BamaCentral 22 for ‘22: Which Alabama Records Will Bryce Young Break This Season
After falling one win short of adding a 19th national title last season, Alabama will look to rebound and take the next step this year. The Crimson Tide returns a loaded roster, including reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young and a rebuilt offense as well as one of the most talented defenses in the Nick Saban era.
Alabama will open its season on Sept. 3 when it hosts Utah State inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. To help pass the time, BamaCentral’s Joey Blackwell, Tony Tsoukalas and Katie Windham will discuss 22 topics and questions concerning the 2022 season.
Today we continue our series by taking a look at a few of the possible Alabama records Young could break this season.
All-time passing yards
Despite having just one season as a starter under his belt, Young sits within striking range of AJ McCarron’s career passing yards mark of 9,019 yards set from 2010-13. Young heads into the season with 5,028 career passing yards and will need 3,992 yards this year to set the record. Will he do it?
Blackwell’s take: With the offseason transfer additions of Jermaine Burton and Tyler Harrell, the career passing yards mark is certainly an achievable record for Young. In 2021, Young hit speedster Jameson Williams for 1,572 yards — a receiving role that is likely to be filled by Harrell in 2022.
Combine the two newcomers with returners Ja’Corey Brooks, JoJo Earle, Traeshon Holden and pass-catching running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the career passing yards record is definitely in the realm of possibility for Young in 2022.
Tsoukalas’ take: Despite Alabama’s restocked offense, it’s going to be tough for Young to match his Heisman numbers from last season. That’s especially the case when considering Alabama’s running game should be improved from last season. Still, it’s hard to imagine Young not ending up with at least 4,000 yards given the amount of talent he has at his disposal.
Windham’s take: It's impressive that Young is even in reach of this accomplishment given McCarron was the stater for three full seasons and also played some as a backup during his redshirt freshman year. Young is entering just his second season as the starter and played limited minutes as backup in 2020 because of the all-SEC schedule.
While nearly 4,000 yards may seem like a tall ask, Alabama quarterbacks have thrown for over 4,000 yards each of the last two seasons (Young in 2021 and Mac Jones in 2020.) Even with a deeper core of running backs, I don't think Young will have much of an issue surpassing McCarron's record.
Alabama Athletics
All-time passing touchdowns
Another record Young could catch is Tua Tagovailoa’s career mark of 87 passing touchdowns set from 2017-19. Young enters the season with 48 career touchdowns through the air and will need to throw 40 more to claim the school record. Will he do it?
Blackwell’s take: Considering that Young had 47 passing touchdowns in the 2021 season, 39 to tie Tua Tagovailoa is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. That being said, the Crimson Tide has a revamped running back stable this season. While it’s certainly doable, the running game might steal a few too many touchdowns here and there to allow Young to surpass the all-time leader.
Tsoukalas’ take: This is another case where Young’s numbers might be diminished a bit by an improved running game. Alabama’s 21 combined rushing touchdowns are its lowest total since Nick Saban’s first season in charge of the Crimson Tide in 2007. If recent history is any indication, it would be safe to add at least 10 rushing touchdowns to Alabama’s total this year. Will that take away from Young’s passing touchdown total?
Even if it does, Young should be close to the mark. I’m predicting that Alabama will give him a shot at the mark if the opportunity presents itself. Assuming the Crimson Tide makes it to the national championship game, he should come away with the record.
Windham’s take: Even though he would need less touchdowns than last season to take home this record, I do not think Young reaches the marker for two mains reasons, even though he is fully capable.
First, like previously mentioned, I expect Alabama to rely more on the run game this season than last. Second, the Crimson Tide will get more use out of its backup quarterbacks this year. Last season, Young's backups only combined for 24 pass attempts and one touchdown. This year, I believe we'll see more than one touchdown out of Jalen Milroe as Alabama will utilize him more in the second half when games have gotten out of reach.
Alabama Athletics
All-time total touchdowns
Tagovailoa also holds Alabama’s all-time total touchdowns mark with 96. Young sits at 51 on his career and will need 46 more to break the record. Will he do it?
Blackwell’s take: Young has accounted for 48 passing and three rushing touchdowns over his two seasons with Alabama but would still need 45 more to tie what Tagovailoa was able to do in three seasons. Given the issue that the Crimson Tide’s running back room is far deeper than it was last season, the concern that the backs will eat up more touchdowns than in 2021 remains a point of conversation. This writer doesn’t believe that Young will be able to surpass the record in just his junior season.
Tsoukalas’ take: It’s already going to be tough for Young to set the passing touchdown record. He’ll need to find the end zone even more if he wants to claim the total touchdown mark. It’s hard to bet against the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but I just don’t see Young pulling this one off.
Windham’s take: Like previously said, I think the touchdowns will be spread out a little more this season whether it's from the running backs or some of the backups. We saw Young get more comfortable scrambling and dashing for the end zone as the season went on, but Alabama doesn't draw up plays for him to run like they would occasionally do for Tagovailoa, so I do not see Young breaking the total touchdowns record.
Alabama Athletics
Single-game touchdowns
One of the most difficult Alabama records to break is Tagovailoa’s single-game touchdown mark of seven set against Ole Miss in 2019. Young recorded five touchdowns on three separate occasions last year but has yet to pass that mark in a game with the Crimson Tide.
Blackwell’s take: Tagovailoa leads not just with his seven-touchdown performance in 2019 against Ole Miss, but also second place with six against Auburn in 2018. From there on out on the list, it’s a 15-way tie for third with five touchdowns apiece, including Young on three occasions in 2021. This record is a little more unpredictable than others on this list, but given some of the defenses that Alabama will face in 2022, it’s unlikely that Young will be able to put his name at the top of this particular record this season.
Tsoukalas’ take: If Alabama made it a goal for Young to break this record, there’s no doubt he could do it. The problem is, the Crimson Tide might pull him out of games before he has the chance. Alabama doesn’t have a difficult schedule, and with this year’s defense shaping up to be one of the best Saban has ever had, it’s hard to imagine the Tide gets into many shootouts. I feel confident that Tagovailoa will still hold this mark by the end of the year.
Windham’s take: I agree with Tony. Young is capable of big passing performances (see 2021 Arkansas game), but I can't imagine a scenario this season where Alabama will ever need him to throw for seven or eight touchdowns in a single game. So I think Tagovailoa will be safe with this record.
Previous Questions
Which Alabama Transfer Will Have the Best Season?
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