Bryce Young - Quarterback, panthers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-08-09 | Full transcript (primary source).
On August 9, 2026, Bryce Young, the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, addressed the media during a press conference. The event took place as the team prepared for the upcoming season, with Young discussing his experiences and insights gained from veteran players, including Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly, who has been a significant presence in the team's training environment.
Transcript
Unknown: Hello, hello. Hello. Hi, I'm Faith. I was just talking about having guys like Julius to look around and be able to see that standard. Look around. Look around the lot too. Do you want to pick his brain about or what does that do to just have a guy like that who's in the hall of fame around your life?
Young: Yeah, yeah, shoot. I try to pick his brain about any and everything. One of the best football minds to ever play was so cool just being able to be there, be a part of it, watch him walk down the field and then day after get to hear his speech and everything. Having him around is such a privilege. It really embodies what it means to be a Panther, be a pro, everything. So I think that every time he's in the building and he's so gracious with his time, he interacts with all of us. You could ask most everyone who's at least been here for a substantial amount of time and they've had conversations, have a relationship with Luke. And he's always willing to comment on stuff and I think what's so important is he's always commenting to try and improve and give. It's not that, ah, you know, we would have done this, X, Y, Z, this is wrong. It's just having those little gems. So we've all gotten a tum from him being around.
Unknown: Bryce, they've said these starters play 10 to 20 plays. I mean, you've had years where you did play, you've had years where you did play. What is sort of your preference?
Young: Yeah, no, I'm excited. I'm excited to just be able to go out there with the guys. Anytime you get to play football live in the stadium, it's a privilege. Especially being able to go out there last week, you just be around it. Obviously wasn't playing, but just, you know, you get that itch again. So I'm excited. I think it's a great opportunity for us as well. You know, just again, you get to go up, go up against another team, go up live, hit someone else. I think it's just, it's going to be great for our process.
Unknown: At that moment, that last week, you had a big smile on your face after the game, assuming it had to do with winning, but also Hanes. Describe that moment for us.
Young: Yeah, it was so cool to see. Hanes has been working so hard. He's looked great this whole time throughout OCAs, throughout camp. So I wasn't shocked at all with how great he performed, how great he operated, how we handled a lot of situations. We had some guys that got in two days before the game. And, you know, for things to go so smoothly, you know, those guys coming in obviously did a great job and put a lot of work as well. But Hanes just making sure everything was going well. It's a lot of stuff you don't see. Headsets went off at one point, like, and Kenny did a great job of maneuvering that. So I was just proud of the whole QB room. Again, they worked so hard. So seeing that live in a moment like that was really fun.
Unknown: Bryce, were you listening in? Did you have earpiece in and listening in to the coaching discussions on play calls and stuff like that?
Young: Yeah, yeah.
Unknown: What was your impression of how Brad called the plays?
Young: Yeah, I think he did a great job. Great job of executing the game plan. Great job of being that one call ahead, of having good rhythm, mixing and blending, being balanced. And then also recognizing, having a feel for what the defense is in, what they want to do, and then being fast with the counter. It's such a high level game. And especially for that, being his first time, he's caught in other preseason games. But just start to bottom. It's not being a drill, but really what he's going to do. I thought he handled it really, really well. So that was just fun to be on the headset for all that. So we're all excited.
Unknown: Bryce, in practice, would it be interesting to have him looking on the opposite side, how he's maybe left in the defense, but also how he's motivated?
Young: Yeah, he's definitely been a huge leader for us. He's been huge as far as just setting the standard, holding everyone accountable, being vocal. He's the guy who's calling things out. Immediately, when we break the huddle, he's the first person you hear making calls, giving tips, telling someone to slide over, telling someone to watch for this. And we've had a lot of great football conversations on the side. And just hearing how he processes, how he thinks about the game, me picking his brain about what he's looking for, a little tells he gets from when I'm playing, stuff like that. It's been huge for all of us.
Unknown: Bryce, two top tackles are off. You've already had the injury problems, but in the fourth quarter to third and fourth stringers, they're creating nice holes in the clean pocket. What kind of depth is a team building that you thought was fun?
Young: Yeah, the culture of that room has been so strong ever since I've been here. We've, over the years, unfortunately, just had some, there's been so much shuffling. And for the standard to be what it's been throughout this whole time, guys knowing it's the next man up, people have to step up. They're not being able to drop off it. Again, just speaks to the culture in that room, how hard those guys work. The coach is doing a great job, so I'm super grateful for that and have all the trust in the world in that.
Unknown: Obviously, pretty young, the receiving court with you. How do you feel about the growth for the next year? Seems like a lot of the younger guys. And then, of course, you know, a guy you played with in College Shop, that really started to shine a little bit in that all-time game. How are you feeling?
Young: Yeah, I feel great. I'm super excited for them to continue to grow. Just seeing how much intentionality they've had in practice, how much time and dedication they've had of trying to grow on the physical side, mentally, all that stuff. You start to see it come into fruition. Obviously, it's still early in the camp. We have a lot of growing as a team to do. And also, I love so much that they have that mindset, knowing that job's not done. When there's a big play out here, people aren't getting big-headed and thinking, everyone still has that growth mindset. So, again, all of us still have a lot of work to do, but we're excited to do it.
Unknown: Bryce, I know that you and Kyle Trask didn't quite cross over in college, but in the SSC around the same time, what do you remember about seeing him play here in that time, and how has he grown from what you've seen coming out here today?
Young: Yeah, yeah. I wasn't playing, but SSC Championship my freshman year, he was a quarterback there. He was lighting it up. And then, you know, just from following football and from being the league, and then he was obviously with the staff in Tampa. And when I was getting here, learning the offense off of a lot of Tampa clips and practice clips, I got to see a lot of them. So, I have a ton of respect for him, has a player, you know, been around him a couple of times outside of here as well, and he's always been a really cool guy. Him being in the room, it's been great. Super professional. So, yeah, we're excited for his addition.
Unknown: Bryce, you seem to be in the midst of a really good training camp. What do you attribute that to, and do you think it matters, like, and will it carry over in this season?
Young: Well, I try to feed off the people around me. You know, all of us are, you know, pushing each other, you know, wanting to be at our best, coaching staff, challenging me, challenging all of us to take that next step system-wise. So, it's just about having that growth mindset. And, you know, for me, I just try to be where my feet are and make sure I'm focused. You know, whatever happens in the future, happens in the future. When you start thinking about that, you're not able to focus on where you're at. So, for me, it's about right now that we got off the practice, making sure that when we get those meetings, I'm locked in to learn the stuff that can be doing better, learn the conversations. I need to have stuff that we did right, emphasize all that. And, you know, when tomorrow hits, it'll be about tomorrow. So, that's all my focus at.
Unknown: Do you feel like, you know, taking it to another level this game?
Young: Again, it's just taking it day by day. I'm not a big sit-back, reflect, compare. It doesn't really do anything for me. So, I don't think about paths like that. I'm happy with the camp we've had so far. I'm happy with the growth as a unit. But, again, it's still early. We've got a lot more to do.
Unknown: Since learning it off from some of the slower starts, September last year and the year before, does that get talked about at all, or is it just something you work on, the individual stuff, the little things that it takes care of itself? How do you guys approach that?
Young: Yeah, you know, we're always focusing on the details to make sure it's individual. And I think, you know, we're relying on the coaching staff with all that stuff, too, again. You know, this year is starting early. I think it's great. You know, I love the challenge. I love the call for us to go out here and, you know, try to grow. And we trust Coach in all those decisions. We know whatever call he makes, we're all on board. It's the best for the team. But, you know, we want to make sure that we're addicted to the process, process-oriented. So, you know, we have the confidence. Again, this is where you build it in training camp, so we're just working on that process.
Unknown: Anything else?
Young: Appreciate you guys.