CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> Stanford interim head football coach Frank Reich was walking to dinner in downtown Charlotte with four of his Cardinal players on Monday night when he heard a familiar voice from a passing car.

“Coach Reich, coach Reich!” the voice said.

Soon the car stopped and pulled over and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young popped his head out the window to say hello and catch up with the coach who drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2023.

Reich, viewed as a developer of quarterbacks, had been entrusted with Young’s growth under center but the relationship was cut short early when Panthers owner David Tepper fired Reich just 11 games into his first season after a 1-10 start to the 2023 season.

Young struggled under Reich’s tutelage, something that carried over to 2024 when the former Heisman Trophy winner was benched two games into the season by new coach Dave Canales. Young would remain on the bench until veteran Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a car accident in late October, allowing him to reclaim the starting job.

Young made the most of his second chance.

He finished the season with a flurry, completing 65% of his passes for 612 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his final three starts. Young accounted for five TDs — three passing and two rushing — in the Panthers’ season-ending 44-38 overtime win against Atlanta, giving