Take Two: Does Bryce Young deserve a five-star ranking?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
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THE STORYLINE
There is a wide variance of opinion when it comes to top-ranked dual-threat quarterback Bryce Young and it could be years before people are proven right or wrong on the four-star from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei.
An argument could be made for Young to be a five-star, especially if he follows in the path of the players he is most often compared to in Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, Johnny Manziel or Kyler Murray.
Another point could be had that just because he’s a dynamic high school quarterback does not mean his style of game will translate to the college and pro game. Tate Martell is a recent example of someone who was a big-time winner on the high school level but has struggled to find his footing in the college game and couldn’t even beat out Jarren Williams or N’Kosi Perry for the starting job at Miami.
Young is highly talented. And he’s got a surprisingly strong arm, as we saw at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas this summer. His high school resume can stand up against anybody else’s in the 2020 class. There are numerous reasons why Alabama continues to pursue the USC commit and the Crimson Tide have made him a big priority in this class.
Young has moved up in the rankings model and in the Rivals100 after another strong summer.
Is he worthy of a fifth star as he proves he is the next Wilson or Murray, or is it completely unfair to both sides to make those comparisons since those players are so unique and rare?
FIRST TAKE: RYAN YOUNG, TROJANSPORTS.COM
“The five-star debate on Young is interesting because it would seem to simply come down to criteria. If the rating were purely a projection for what he can do at the college level, he's a clear five-star. His combination of touch, timing and arm strength when needed leave no doubts after watching him through the summer camp circuit and some 7-on-7. He may not win the longest throw competition with other top 2020 prospects, but watching him in live action his deep ball is as precise and impressive as anyone's. And he has the confidence in his arm strength to fit the ball in tight windows when needed. There's a reason Alabama has set its sights on trying to flip him off his USC commitment.
"Any questions about his size would pertain more to a post-college evaluation, and if NFL Draft stock is weighing heavily in the five-star, four-star debate, then perhaps I can understand the other side. Assuming he stays with his USC pledge, he'll walk into an interesting situation with his Mater Dei predecessor JT Daniels still likely around for two more seasons once Young arrives and 2019 freshman Kedon Slovis emerging as more than most expected.
"That said, Young is an ideal fit for what Graham Harrell wants out of his QBs with his ability to spread it around the field accurately and connect deep when those opportunities arise. Five-star or not, he carries true star potential to the next level.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM
“The comparison to Wilson is overrated because Wilson was a very good high school quarterback but most schools wanted to move him to wide receiver. Mayfield was a walk-on, and a lot of people thought he was a system quarterback. And Murray was a guy who never lost, a dynamic athlete, but he was super small. Who knows what he would’ve done at Texas A&M but he got in a perfect system at Oklahoma. Comparing the situations is difficult.
“Young is a talented kid. The strengths are his leadership, he’s a winner, he can definitely extend the play and keep defenses off-balance and nothing seems to be too big for him as far as the stage is concerned but he’s so small. How many Kyler Murrays are there that are going to come along? That’s what we don’t know.
"When Wilson became a star in the NFL, we were like, ‘OK, he’s a one-off.’ Then Manziel wins the Heisman. Now you have Murray. Is this going to be a trend that continues for a long time or are we just seeing rare shorter quarterbacks? That’s what we really don’t know.”