The Carolina Panthers announced that No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft Bryce Young will wear No. 9 as a member of the team, the same number that he wore during his college football career with the Alabama football program.

Quarterback Matt Corral will switch from No. 9 to No. 2, which was a change that he requested prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. Matt Corral wore No. 2 at the Ole Miss football program and during his high school playing days.

Usually when one player joins a new team and takes another's number, it involves some kind of financial compensation to get the player who holds the number currently to change. However, it was clear that Corrall wanted to return to his Ole Miss football number.

That makes things easy for Bryce Young, who can wear his number from when he was with the Alabama football program. The Panthers are hoping that Young can have the success that he had at Alabama. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2021, and had a very productive season in 2022.

The Panthers moved up from No. 9 overall to No. 1 with the Chicago Bears, and the Panthers gave up a haul to make the move. The Panthers sent DJ Moore, their 2023 first-round pick, their 2023 second-round pick, their 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick.

It goes without saying that the Panthers have invested a lot in Young, and they are betting on him to become their franchise quarterback. There was some buzz about them selected CJ Stroud when the trade initially happened, but it became pretty clear that Young would be the pick leading up to the draft.