Alabama’s Nick Saban says quarterback Bryce Young will be a game-time decision against Texas A&M

Playing the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young will be a game-time decision on Saturday as No. 1 Alabama prepares to take on Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies. 

Young injured his throwing shoulder during the second quarter of Alabama’s Week 5 win over Arkansas. After the injury, Young returned for a series before heading back to the locker room and was on the sideline for the second half. Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe played the entire second half in Alabama’s 49-26 win. 

“Bryce has been practicing, and all week, he’s been saying that he could play,” Saban told ESPN on Thursday. “But that’s going to be a medical decision. We’ve still got some time, and I want to talk more to Bryce. He’s the only one who knows how he feels because it’s going to be a pain-tolerance thing.

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“He’s a tough kid and great competitor. We’ll see where he is on game day.”

Saban said that while Young did some throwing at practice on Wednesday, the plan was to allow him to rest on Thursday. 

“There was no reason for him to throw a lot this week, because if he does, it’s not going to get better. It’s just going to aggravate it,” Saban said. “Our doctors are saying that if you hold off as much as you can, then that’s the best chance that he’s got.”

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Milroe played well while filling in for Young, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another while gaining 91 yards on the ground. 

“Obviously, Bryce is the leader of the team, and the players respect him and trust him and believe in him,” Saban said. “But I don’t see our players not performing well when [Milroe] is in there. He does enough good things that they believe in him and trust him. 

“If he’s in there, I don’t see it as a problem. Whether we can execute well enough is what matters because these guys [Texas A&M] are better on defense, I think, than anybody we’ve played so far.”

Texas A&M is dealing with its own quarterback issues, as Max Johnson reportedly suffering a broken bone in his throwing hand against Mississippi State in Week 5. Johnson could miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN.