How Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has grown into a leader anyone can follow

It could have been a moment of levity.

Following the annual brutality of the NFL’s cut-down deadline, Bryce Young stood behind a lectern and was offered up a harmless ice-breaker question from a reporter in the front row. He was jokingly asked about making the Panthers’ 53-man roster as a rookie.

As the first overall pick in April, Young was assured a spot on the depth chart, but the question’s irony did little to lighten his mood. Instead of truly embracing the joke, Young — while flashing a polite smile — chose humility and compassion in the moment.

“It’s really sad to see that side of the business,” Young said. “I feel like a lot of people on the outside just look at us as players and athletes, which is part of us but not all of who we are. There’s a lot of people, a lot of men, who are sons, fathers, husbands, that have to now go and uproot their life and change — and living with that, and being unsure and not knowing what’s going to happen.

“To everyone on our team, and everyone throughout the league, who isn’t in the same situation today as they were yesterday, (my) heart goes out to them.”

Young’s thoughtful handling of a seemingly harmless joke probably didn’t surprise his current and former teammates. His natural empathy and care for his comrades has been on display throughout his football career.

Young’s desire to serve those around him has helped him gain the trust and respect of his peers. Just 22 and relatively small for the quarterback position, Young has been able to galvanize the locker room — filled with notable veterans like Adam Thielen, Brian Burns, Justin Houston, Shaq Thompson and Hayden Hurst — early on his rookie campaign because of how he carries himself around Bank of America Stadium.

While he’s always been among the most talented players on the field at every level of his football journey, his dedication to his teammates and the playbook, along with his even-keeled, respectful demeanor, have put him in position to lead the Panthers against the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener on Sunday.

But don’t take Young’s kindness for weakness. His teammates and coaches push back at the notion that he’s soft-spoken, noting his directness, intensity, and command of the huddle. They also frequently warn outsiders about the “dog” in him, which has been displayed in spurts during his first NFL training camp and preseason.

“When he steps in the huddle, everybody shuts up,” veteran starting center Bradley Bozeman said. “So, that tells you a lot. There are a lot of huddles I’ve been in where people are still having side conversations about what happened the play before. Whenever he steps in, it’s silent.”

‘No one too small’

Young credits his ability to empathize with others to his Christian faith and his parents.

Young’s father, Craig, is a former family therapist, while his mother, Julie, worked as an early special needs teacher before retiring in December. Their desire to help others rubbed off on Young at an early age, according to Craig.

“I would love to take a lot of credit for that, but it feels like it was very intrinsic,” Craig said. “But also my wife is a special needs teacher and has always dealt with kids who are of significant special needs, and he’s (come) and volunteered at the classes, so we’ve always kind of had a family theme of being of service and serving others and serving the community.”

Bryce Young, who describes Craig as his mentor and role model, says he learned at a young age that his religious beliefs came with the duty of serving others, a trait that resonates with current and former teammates.

“That’s how I’ve been raised,” Young said. “That’s what we all believe in our household is — we’re here to glorify God — to help others and to serve. That’s why we’re put on Earth, so obviously, I think there are different ways to do so. Everyone obviously has their personal motivations, and that’s not a negative thing at all, but at the end of the day, I think that’s what our model of life looks like — to serve others.”

Young arrived at Alabama as a five-star recruit out of Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California, in 2020. While he walked onto campus with high expectations and heavy fanfare — Mater Dei was a quarterback factory for the University of Southern California Trojans for years, producing the likes of Matt Leinart, and Matt Barkley, among others — Young’s humility and work ethic superseded any delusions of grandeur in Tuscaloosa.

Young lost out on the starting job as a true freshman to future New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Placed in the No. 2 role, Young accepted his job as a backup and did his best to help prepare and support Jones for the big games of an eventual championship season.

Logan Burnett, a senior walk-on and the oldest guy in the quarterback room in 2020, was immediately impressed by the teenager’s humble approach to his backup job.

“Mac went out there and earned that job, and Bryce did an incredible job of supporting him, being a positive presence, and being ready whenever, if his time was called, he was ready to go,” Burnett said. “He prepared like he was a starter every single day — carried himself like he was a starter.”

Burnett also saw Young’s humility extend beyond the quarterback room.

Young was a delivery driver for DoorDash as a freshman — “It was before NIL,” Young joked last month — to make extra money in college. He was also a friendly face around campus who flashed his trademark smile at everyone, no matter their station.

“He talked to the janitor for 30 minutes just like he’d talk to Coach (Nick) Saban,” Burnett said. “There was no one too small for him to give his time to, whether it was coaching up other players or just having conversations with people in locker rooms — he was just a very personable and humble guy.”

Becoming ‘legendary’

Ask any member of the 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide football team about their best on-field memory of Young, and the answers will likely be the same: the Iron Bowl against the Auburn Tigers.

Like a talented actor belting out a dramatic monologue, Young’s late-game heroics against Auburn pushed him into the conversation of being the heavy favorite during award season. TV actors get Emmys to reward their standout performances. Young earned a Heisman trophy — awarded to the best player in the country — at least partially due to the memorable milestone that was an overtime Iron Bowl win for Alabama.

Young was able to will his squad into a wild comeback victory, even as the offense failed to find success in the first three quarters. Down 10-3 with 1:35 left in the fourth quarter, Young rallied the troops with words of inspiration as the offense had its back to its own end zone.

“At the end of the day, regardless of what happened, you get a two-minute drive in the Iron Bowl to tie the game and send it into overtime,” Young said. “That’s what you dream of when you’re a kid. That’s what we all in the backyard imagine, and we were all blessed to have the opportunity to go live it.

“So, regardless of what happened in the past, where your feet are — you have that next play — and having that opportunity, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I think that’s where my head was at, where we were at as a team of, ‘Where else would you rather be?’”

Jalyn Armour-Davis was a redshirt junior defensive back on that Alabama squad, and he watched from the sideline as Young anchored a 12-play, 97-yard touchdown drive against an archrival to send the game to overtime and an eventual 24-22 win.

“We’re at our own 3-yard line, and we hadn’t moved the ball all game,” Armour-Davis said. “And he got our offense all the way down and led us to a victory. And obviously, he’d done a lot of things up until that game cause it was the end of the regular season, but I think that was probably his Heisman moment over that whole season in general. Just that last drive in the Iron Bowl — that was legendary if you ask me.”

Phidarian Mathis was a redshirt senior on that Crimson Tide team. The defensive lineman, who now plays for the Washington Commanders, remembers seeing the competitive “dog” come out of Young at the overtime coin toss.

“Just telling them boys (on offense), ‘We’re winning this game,’” Mathis said. “Like, ‘We’re not leaving without it.’ As a matter of fact, we were at the (coin) toss, and he was telling the Auburn guys, ‘We’re leaving with it, we can’t leave without it.’ And that’s one of my favorite memories of him — just bringing that energy.”

Don’t ‘blink’ against Bryce

Armour-Davis, who is in his second season with the Baltimore Ravens, played against Young for two years in practice. Armour-Davis knows how difficult Young is to defend when he finds a passing alley or a running lane. In the 2021 Iron Bowl, Auburn got to see what Armour-Davis saw in practice daily.

“You really have to play until the whistle,” Armour-Davis said. “We always say that, and it’s always something you want to be done, but sometimes, it doesn’t go that way. But when you’re playing against Bryce, you really have to play to the whistle, you really have to be detailed, pre-snap and post-snap, ‘cause he’s extremely smart. If you show him too much before the snap, he’s going to see it, he’s going to attack, and they are going to move the ball down the field efficiently.”

Mathis, who also played against Young in practice, believes Young makes life difficult for a defender because he has so many ways of beating the opposition.

“He’s filthy, man,” Mathis said with a laugh. “You blink one time, you’re going to miss him. Bryce is a guy that knows how to control the pocket (and) knows how to get out the pocket, so if you can’t contain him, you’ll be in for a long while. I just also think that’s what makes him a hell of a football player, being good on his feet.”

While much is made of Young’s 5-foot-10, 204-pound frame, Mathis — listed as 6-foot-4 and 312 pounds — believes those measurements are the wrong attributes to focus on when scouting the signal-caller.

“It’s not about the size,” Mathis said. “I think Bryce has got heart, knows what it takes to win football games, and Bryce knows what it takes to get his teammates behind him.”

Taking ownership

When Young sits in quarterback meetings, he’s surrounded by impressive people.

Frank Reich, the Panthers’ head coach, played quarterback in the NFL for 14 years and has been considered one of the best offensive minds in the league in his second act as a play-caller. Young’s position coach, Josh McCown, played nearly 20 years in the league and earned a quarterbacks coach job without having to work at a lower position at the college or professional levels.

The Panthers’ offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown, is among the notable young coaches in the league, and he played in the NFL as well. Former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell — who led Indianapolis to a Super Bowl — is a senior assistant, and Andy Dalton, who has more career passing yardage than Reich and McCown combined in their playing days, is Young’s veteran backup.

And then there’s Young, the 22-year-old rookie from Pasadena, California.

According to passing game coordinator Parks Frazier, Young’s youth and inexperience aren’t deterrents in a room full of football lifers.

“His maturity level is unbelievable,” Frazier said. “The way he looks at life, the way he looks at football, the way he carries himself, what his passions are, and then how he treats and respects people is not something a (22)-year-old is supposed to do, but it’s what makes him special. It’s honestly a lot of the reason why we picked him where we picked him and why we love having him here. It’s why he’s earned the respect of his teammates so fast, and I think it’s (a large reason) why he’s been so successful.”

Dalton — who started in Week 1 of his rookie season in 2011 — knows what it’s like to be the young guy expected to lead a room full of veteran players. Dalton has been in Young’s shoes, and he thinks his teammate — who was just 10 years old during Dalton’s rookie season — has come in and set a nice tone during his first summer in Charlotte.

“He picked up on things quickly, and he’s got a great understanding of what he’s doing and what we’re asking him to do,” Dalton said. “Kind of taking ownership of all that.”

Right tackle Taylor Moton has blocked for the likes of Cam Newton, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield during his career. None of those quarterbacks were rookies when Moton worked with them.

But he got to see their varied approaches as leaders and communicators.

Moton knows what good leadership and communication can look like. So far, Young has passed those tests.

“He’s doing an awesome job of commanding the huddle — going in there with a confidence, a swagger, which you love to see out of a quarterback,” Moton said.

‘You don’t want to let guys like that down’

Young isn’t what football fans would consider a “rah-rah” leader, but he communicates openly, honestly and directly, according to his veteran teammates. Tight end Hayden Hurst, who has caught passes from Lamar Jackson, Matt Ryan and Joe Burrow, appreciates Young’s attention to detail in all aspects of his preparation.

“He’s not in your face, he’s not screaming,” Hurst said. “He’s in there watching film every day. It just makes you want to be on top of your game because you don’t want to let guys like that down, because you know they are going to come to practice every single day — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Day 6 of camp, it doesn’t matter — they’re going to be on top of their stuff, so you better be on top of yours as well.”

Young understands that leading isn’t all about big speeches or game-winning heroics. That’s why he tries to set the tone before attempting to uplift the locker room.

“First and foremost, you have to make sure that you’re holding yourself to a standard that you want other people to,” Young said. “I don’t think you’re going to get a lot of respect if you ask stuff from others that you’re not willing to do yourself. … Whatever we’re trying to accomplish, I want to make sure that I’m doing it, that I’m handling my business.

“And then, on top of that, I think it’s important to be authentic to who you are, and be true to yourself, and not try to change. But also, be receptive to what other people are going through, what other people need, and I don’t think there’s one way to lead.”

As Young prepares to lead Carolina into the first regular-season game of the Reich era on Sunday against Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the franchise’s expectations are extremely high.

But, according to his father, Craig, the expectations that Young has for himself are probably even higher.

Said Craig: “He expects so much from himself that people have no idea.”