Bryce Young

Alabama may not know if quarterback Bryce Young will be under center for Saturday's game against Texas A&M until right before kickoff.

Head coach Nick Saban said the reigning Heisman Trophy winner did not suffer any structural damage to his right shoulder during the victory over Arkansas and threw during Wednesday's practice, but a decision on his status could come during pregame warmups.

"Bryce has been practicing, and all week, he's been saying that he could play," Saban told Chris Low of ESPN. "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."

Young suffered the injury in the second quarter of the 49-26 win when he was tackled on the scramble. He remained in for one more series before eventually going to the locker room and never returned to the game.

"There's nothing wrong with his rotator cuff or anything like that, nothing that's going to keep him out long term," Saban said. "We hope we get him back this week, but it's still too early to make that call."

It seemed like the Crimson Tide were going to cruise even without their star quarterback when they built a 28-0 advantage in the second quarter, but the Razorbacks came flying back with 23 unanswered points.

Just when it seemed like Alabama's undefeated season and inside track to the College Football Playoff may disappear with arguably the top player in college football on the sidelines, it scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs scored two of them, with the first coming on a 72-yard run and the second coming on a 76-yard run. He finished with 206 yards on 18 carries and put the team on his back when it needed it the most.

Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe went 4-of-9 passing for 65 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions while adding 91 yards and a score on the ground in place of Young. It wasn't a Heisman-worthy showing, but he did more than enough to keep the offense afloat in the win.

The game between Alabama and Texas A&M was one of the most anticipated ones of the season at one time after Saban and Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher had a verbal spat this offseason.

However, the contest has lost some luster, and not because of Young's injury.

Rather, Texas A&M has struggled out of the gates at 3-2 with losses to Appalachian State and Mississippi State to go with narrow and, at times, ugly wins over Arkansas and Miami.

The Crimson Tide may not even need Young to win this game, but his status will be closely monitored before kickoff.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is considered "day-to-day" after leaving Saturday's game with a shoulder injury.

"He's got a little bit of a shoulder injury," head coach Nick Saban told reporters Monday. "It's not a long-term injury."

Young suffered the injury in the first half of the SEC battle against Arkansas, but backup Jalen Milroe was able to keep the Crimson Tide afloat in the 49-26 victory.

Alabama is scheduled to host Texas A&M on Saturday.

Losing Young for any amount of time would represent a major setback for Alabama. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner tallied 4,872 passing yards with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions last year while leading the squad to the national championship game.

The quarterback has been just as impressive this season with 1,202 passing yards and 14 touchdowns with only three picks, adding three rushing touchdowns in five games.

Milroe was inconsistent as a passer against Arkansas, finishing 4-of-9 for 65 yards and a touchdown, although he showcased his athleticism with 91 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The Texas native was a 4-star recruit in the 2021 class and the No. 13 quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings.

If Young is unable to play Saturday, fans should expect a heavy rushing attack led by Jahmyr Gibbs.

Alabama quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young left Saturday's game against Arkansas with a sprained shoulder, head coach Nick Saban told CBS Sports' Jenny Dell.

“Hopefully we’ll get some diagnosis on him and see how he goes," he added.

Young was on the sideline at the start of the second half with his helmet on after exiting in the second quarter, but he never returned to the field as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 49-26 win.

Young initially appeared to be in discomfort as he headed toward the injury tent during the second quarter of the game with the No. 2 Crimson Tide leading the No. 20 Razorbacks 14-0:

According to ESPN's Alex Scarborough, Young's parents went down to the field while he was in the tent, and he then went to the locker room.

Per AL.com's Mike Rodak, CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell said she heard a "very extreme yell" as Young threw down his helmet and entered the tent.

Rodak noted Young appeared to suffer the injury when he landed hard on his right throwing arm while getting pushed out of bounds by Arkansas' Drew Sanders.

Young is arguably the biggest star in college football after he completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season in his first campaign as a starter.

The Tide fell short of a title, losing to Georgia in the national championship game, but due largely to Young's presence, they entered 2022 among the favorites to win it all.

Entering Saturday's contest, Young was off to a hot start and in the thick of the Heisman race again, throwing for 1,029 yards, 13 touchdowns and two picks for the 4-0 Crimson Tide.

Prior to exiting against Arkansas, Young had thrown for 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and he rushed for a touchdown.

The injured Young was replaced by redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe, who has seen limited action over the past season-plus.

In 2021, Milroe threw for 41 yards and one touchdown. Entering Saturday, he had thrown for 86 yards, one touchdown and one pick this season, while also rushing for 72 yards.

Despite Alabama's deep, talented roster, the looming matchup with No. 17 Texas A&M could prove tougher than expected if Young's injury keeps him out.

While the 2022 NFL draft saw only one quarterback taken in the first round, next year is shaping up to be a bonanza.

Matt Miller of ESPN reported there are as many as five quarterbacks receiving first-round attention, and the league is buzzing about the deep crop of signal-callers.

"This might be the deepest QB class in a long, long time. Maybe ever," one general manager said. "Especially in terms of volume. We're evaluating so many guys. It's a great year to need a quarterback."

Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke are among the names drawing serious first-round consideration.

Young and Stroud are virtual locks to be top-10 picks and could be the first two players off the board next April. While neither has been as sensational early in 2022 as they were a year ago, both possess near-ideal modern skill sets at the quarterback position.

Levis, Richardson and Van Dyke are more high-variance prospects, with their potential draft position being highly dependent on their performance this season. Levis is a big, athletic quarterback with a rocket arm, but he's turnover prone and couldn't beat out Sean Clifford at Penn State.

Richardson has superstar potential with every physical trait you'd want in a quarterback; he's just nowhere close to tapping his skills. He looked overwhelmed in last week's 26-16 loss to Kentucky and hasn't thrown a touchdown in 59 pass attempts this season.

Van Dyke is more of an old-school pocket passer, but he's light years ahead of Levis and Richardson with his poise in the pocket. The Miami product drew comparisons to Kirk Cousins coming out of high school, and it's not hard to envision him having a similar career.

Miller's report indicated there are more than 20 quarterbacks scouts see as having NFL potential this year, and it's likely we'll see at least one or two make a name for themselves with their play this season.

At this time a year ago, no one would have predicted Kenny Pickett as the top quarterback in the 2022 class. While it's unlikely anyone will knock Young and Stroud off their perch as the top prospects, don't be surprised if another name sneaks into the first-round conversation once conference play gets underway.