Why prized QB recruit Bryce Young flipped his commitment from USC to Alabama
Bryce Young’s flip from USC to Alabama wasn’t a foregone conclusion. The opportunity was on the table for months, well after the Trojans' disastrous 2018 season, after Tee Martin was swapped out for Kliff Kingsbury who was replaced by Graham Harrell. It’s not like Clay Helton just found himself on the hot seat. It’s not like Alabama just became the nation’s premier program, or Tua Tagovailoa established himself as a likely top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft with no obvious successor in sight.
And yet Young was firmly committed to USC, as much as anyone could have been in its tenuous state. There was a point this offseason where he even shut down communication with other schools.
So what changed for the Class of 2020 QB? Two things in particular -- Young’s path to the playing field at USC took an unexpected turn, and Clay Helton’s seemingly inevitable exit.
When I spoke with Young in February, I asked him about both Helton and the state of the program, and his comments struck me. Here’s what he said about the latter:
“Really, I just have a lot of trust and faith in the staff. I love the environment. Every time I’m at ‘SC it’s home for me. I have a lot of trust in them and the direction they’re taking it and I have complete confidence that things will be great. That’s why I’m still there.”
I followed that up by asking how he’d categorize his commitment knowing there could be a different head coach by the time he arrives.
“I love the coaching staff there, but I also fell in love with the campus, the school, the environment,” Young said. “So for me I’m really excited to be a Trojan regardless of who’s there and I have a lot of faith that that won’t happen. I have a lot of faith that the staff will be there, that they’ll be successful. I don’t really like to think like that, but I’m excited to be a Trojan regardless.”
Notice how he expressed so much confidence in USC’s coaches in both answers. I think it’s since become obvious to him why he can’t bank on their involvement in his college career. As good as things looked in wins over Stanford and Utah, the BYU loss was even more impactful. It served as a reminder that things haven’t changed completely, and that a head coaching change is more likely to happen than not in the near future. This might have been clear to many before the season, but Young was hopeful that the Trojans would ultimately turn the tide (pun intended).
That they appear to have found a new QB of the future further complicates matters. When Young committed to USC in July of 2018, the idea was that he would arrive in the spring of 2020 and compete with then-junior JT Daniels and either beat him out or sit behind his Mater Dei predecessor before Daniels turned pro after his third year. It eventually became apparent that Daniels wouldn’t be in such a position heading into next season, even before his ACL injury. But his injury really changed the whole complexion of USC’s QB room.
In the past three weeks, freshman Kedon Slovis emerged as the frontrunner for the starting job in 2020 and beyond. This, of course, came after Graham Harrell heaped continuous praise on the newcomer. Young’s camp will tell you the four-star dual-threat believed he could have beaten out Daniels or Slovis, who I doubt was on his radar until recently. But it’s a tall order to essentially beat out two starting QBs, and because both will be sophomores next year, there's the possibility that Young would be stuck as a backup for up to three years.
Contrast all that with Alabama, which remained persistent in its pursuit and, as I mentioned, doesn’t have a QB lined up for 2020. As the Crimson Tide’s dynasty persists, they’ve won more and more recruiting battles out West, not unlike what we saw from USC in the South and the East during Pete Carroll’s latter years. Ironically, while Alabama doesn't have a reputation for developing QBs, an area in which USC stands above every school in America this century, an endless treasure chest on the O-line, in the backfield and at receiver makes this the program the most ideal situation for a young QB to step into. That doesn’t figure to change anytime soon, as Saban has given no indication he might be leaving.
So for Young, the root of all this is coaching stability and QB situation. I'd heard a few weeks back that he was strongly considering the move, with some suggesting he'd already indicated to Alabama that he was coming after he’d grown open to the school over time. How the past month played out, which included a visit to Tuscaloosa this weekend, just made things clearer for him. Interestingly, I’m told if USC were to hire the "right" coach, Young could find himself back on board with the Trojans.
Stay tuned, but don’t hold your breath.
