Bryce Young is the 2021 BamaCentral Crimson Tide Athlete of the Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama sophomore quarterback Bryce Young has been named the 2021 BamaCentral Crimson Tide Athlete of the Year.

With as many as two games still left to play on the schedule for the Crimson Tide, Young has already had one of the best single seasons for an Alabama quarterback in program history. In total, Young passed for 4,322 yards and thrown 43 touchdowns. His passing yards number is just 178 yards behind Mac Jones' program record for most passing yards in a single season, while his 43 passing touchdowns is tied with Tua Tagovailoa for most over the course of a season.

Along with impressive numbers, Young also brought in a solid number of individual honors. Young won the Heisman Trophy, the annual award that recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.

Young is the fourth player in Alabama program history and the team's first quarterback to win the award.

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Young said after winning the award. “You dream of moments like that. It’s surreal for something like that to happen. You know, it was a whirlwind of emotion for sure hearing your name and then composing yourself to speak, so it was really surreal, and it was truly an honor and a blessing.”

Along with the Heisman, Young was also named the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year and the winner of the Maxwell Award. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award, which is given annually to the best NCAA quarterback in the nation.

In conference honors, Young was also named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

On top of winning multiple national awards, Young has been recognized by both his coaches and teammates for his humility and character. At the end of the regular season, Young was recognized by his fellow Alabama players as not only a permanent captain but also the team's Most Valuable Player.

“I absolutely love the guy, I love his character,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said of Young earlier in December. “He’s got all the right stuff and I think that’s really important at the quarterback position. [...] You’ve heard me say this many times before: if you play quarterback, it’s hard to play the position if the people around you don’t play well. So having great leadership qualities can contribute to that, I think Bryce certainly possesses those qualities.”

Gallery: Bryce Young 2021 Season Photos

Images Courtesy of Alabama Athletics and T.G. Paschal/BamaCentral