Report: Nick Saban believes Bryce Young 'on track' to play vs Tennessee

Bryce Young appears to be trending in a positive direction ahead of Saturday’s game against Tennessee, as On3’s BamaInsider reported Friday. Friday night, Alabama head coach Nick Saban shared one final update on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

Saban previously confirmed Young practiced some this week, but he told ESPN’s Chris Low that Young doesn’t have as much pain in his shoulder as he’s had over the last couple weeks. Young suffered the injury against Arkansas Oct. 1 and missed last week’s game against Texas A&M.

Although things are looking up, Saban reiterated he wants to wait until closer to game time to make a final call.

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“There’s no reason to rush a quarterback back with this kind of injury,” Saban told Low. “Bryce is such a competitor that he always wants to play. The soreness he had last week hasn’t been nearly as bad. You can see that when he throws it. But we still need to make sure everything checks out before the game.”

Last week, Alabama held on for a close victory over Texas A&M after stopping the Aggies’ at the goal line on the final play. Jalen Milroe was under center for that one, and he’d likely be called upon if Young can’t end up going this week.

Still, it sounds like it’s wait-and-see with Alabama’s QB1.

“(Young has) done a lot more in practice this week and thrown a lot more than he did a week ago,” Saban said. “He wants to play and feels like he’s healthy enough to play. We’ll know for sure once he gets on the field, starts throwing and how he feels then.”

Nick Saban explains process that will decide if Bryce Young plays vs Tennessee

During “Hey Coach and the Nick Saban Show” on Thursday, Saban walked through the thought process that will determine if Young can play in the game. Young has practiced in a limited capacity this week, which means he’s taking steps toward playing soon.

That said, Saban said it’ll come down to how the reigning Heisman Trophy winner feels Saturday ahead of kickoff. Until then, his status remains up in the air.

“Bryce has practiced some this week, and I think it comes down to does he feel and do we feel that he can throw the ball effectively enough?” Saban said. “He’s not going to hurt himself by doing it. I just don’t know how much it will hurt him if he does it. He’s done it on a limited basis. That’s the question, and nobody’s going to know that until Saturday comes, aight? He won’t know it, I won’t know it, nobody will know it. I know he wants to play and I know he thinks he can play, and we’ll see. We’ll see.”