As Fall Camp Nears, Bryce Young Speaks At SEC Media Day

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was back in the spotlight this week, both for what he did to win the 2021 award and for what he hopes to do as encore in 2022.

With college football camps set to open across the country as the calendar turns from July to August, that means conference media days are in full swing.

Bryce Young spoke during the SEC media week on July 19, making the rounds from outlet to outlet as any high profile player does, let alone the returning Heisman winner.

Young, coming off a season in which he threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns, covered a variety of topics Tuesday.

On adjusting to life in even more in the spotlight than he already was:

“It’s maybe, I guess, weird to think for other people, but for me, it hasn’t really changed much. My day-to-day is the same (and) how I view things are the same, so it hasn’t been a huge change.

“There’s some external stuff that may look a little different, some logistics, that may look a little different, but for me, one, I feel like just my process is one more gradually than people may have thought.”

On his goals for the season:

“The goal isn’t ever anything about individual awards or accolades. For me, it’s all about trying to go and win the championship, and that’s the goal that we have every year. That’s what I’m the most focused on, that’s the only thing that matters to me. And the one thing that I love about Alabama, one of the reasons I chose Alabama and I’m happy I’m here is because all you have to do is focus on the team.”

Along those lines, becoming just the second two-time Heisman winner is not something on the top of Young’s mind:

“Winning the Heisman is obviously a huge honor. It means a lot. But also I understand that that doesn’t entitle me to anything. Really it’s an award that celebrates one season that I had in the past, which is, again, an honor but doesn’t mean anything toward me moving forward. It doesn’t entitle me to anything. So because of that, I don’t feel like I’m where I need to be. I don’t feel like I’m a finished product by any means. There’s a lot of stuff that I wanna keep getting better at.”

Young, among the many media hits, did this interview on SportsCenter:

Wrapping up his 2021 resume, Young won his first ESPY Award on June 20 as Male College Athlete of the Year. He follows former Crimson Tide teammate and 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, who won the same award in 2021.

Young was also part of another nomination in the Best Game category, which featured Alabama’s four-overtime come-from-behind win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. That game, however, lost to the Kansas City Chiefs win over the Bills in the 2021 NFL playoffs.