What Nick Saban loves about Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's intangibles

The Carolina Panthers enter year two under head coach Dave Canales with a little more confidence than they had last year. Carolina started with an atrocious record of 1-7 before they were able to find their footing. They were 4-5 in the final nine games, which might not sound great, but they still showed plenty of progress.

More importantly, quarterback Bryce Young turned the corner. After being benched in favor of Andy Dalton early in the year, Young got a second chance when Dalton was injured before their Week 8 contest against Denver. Young made the most of that opportunity, throwing for 2,104 yards with 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He added another 223 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

That promise has fans excited about the future, especially with Tetairoa McMillan entering the mix as his new WR1. His performance also reminded everyone why former Alabama coach Nick Saban was so complimentary of his former pupil.

However, a recent story from Creg Stephenson of AL.com reminds us all that Saban had even more fondness for Young as a person than a player.

“I just absolutely love the guy,” Saban said Dec. 19, 2019. “His character. He’s got a great family. He’s got all the right stuff. And I think that’s really important in 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.”

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton watches quarterback Bryce Young throw during minicamp at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

That character was on display last season when Young faced adversity. Rather than complain and look for a way out, he worked on his craft and made the most of his second chance.

Every NFL player, especially quarterbacks, will go through their share of trials. Young proved that he won't be shaken, even when facing the worst.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

PFF defensive line rankings has Panthers’ unit in shockingly low spot

Panthers youngster goes from ‘bust’ to most-promising building block

Panthers tight end depth chart is wide open- and that’s not a good thing

Viral Jalen Hurts meme resurrects bad takes on Cam Newton, SB50 loss