Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud reunite at joint practice, reflect on NFL journeys

HOUSTON (AP) — Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud will be forever linked after the quarterbacks were taken first and second, respectively, in the 2023 NFL draft.

But long before they became NFL stars, the two California natives became friends when they competed in both football and basketball in middle school.

On Thursday, the two reunited when Stroud’s Houston Texans hosted Young’s Carolina Panthers for a joint practice ahead of Saturday’s preseason game.

The quarterbacks were all business during drills, with both players making some nice throws during the two-hour workout. Afterward, they took some time to catch up and chat.

“To see where he’s at right now, I’m super proud of him. It means a lot,” Young said. “I’m always rooting for him. That’s my guy. When practice is going, I’m rooting for our defense. I’m hoping we make every play. That’s all that matters. But before and after I try not to take it for granted, us being able to live our dreams and be here. It’s special.”

Stroud said the two never specifically talked about their NFL dreams together as children but said competing against Young at such a young age made him a better player.

“When we focus on like the NFL or the NBA, it’s hard to do because (at that age) there’s so many people trying for that,” Stroud said. “But like me and him, I feel like our process was just getting better, getting better, getting better, getting better. So, I think that was our mindset and it’s cool to be in these moments.”

The Panthers were criticized in 2023 for selecting Young, who struggled as a rookie as the team went 2-15. Meanwhile, Stroud led Houston to the postseason after a three-year absence and was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Neither player likes talking about the what-ifs when it comes to that draft, and Young insisted Thursday that he’s happy with how things turned out.

“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “I’m sure C.J. would say the same thing. God doesn’t make mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. So, I’m super grateful to be a Panther.”

As their NFL careers have blossomed, Stroud and Young have remained close. Young was asked to describe the best thing about Stroud as a friend.

“I’ve seen him have ups and downs,” Young said. “I’ve seen him have so much success at this level (and) throughout all that he’s been the exact same person ... and I know a lot of people on this team and everyone tells me how great of a leader he is, how much he means for this team, offense, the entire team, entire unit, the person he is. So, I think just his ability to be that same person, regardless of what his circumstances are is one of the things that I admire most.”

Stroud also praised Young’s consistency as a friend and lauded him for the improvement he showed last season.

“He’s a heck of a player, one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life,” Stroud said. “And I just think he needs some help around him too. But I’m just really proud of that guy, just the same way he said about me, for every up and down, every valley and peak he’s stayed the same guy, stayed loyal and stayed a friend and brother, so very appreciative.”

While Stroud has had much more success so far after taking Houston to the playoffs in each of his two seasons, he remains irked that one of Carolina’s two wins in 2023 came against the Texans and hopes to have a rematch with Young one day.

“He beat me my rookie year, still don’t like that,” Stroud said. “When we cross those lines, we’re competitive, we want to do well and see our teams win. So hopefully we get to match up next year or maybe in the Super Bowl or something. I don’t know. But don’t put that on ESPN, I know how y’all do.”

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Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws during a joint NFL football practice with the Carolina Panthers Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young works out during a joint NFL football practice with the Houston Texans Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud works out during a joint NFL football practice with the Carolina Panthers Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) hands off to running back Rico Dowdle during a joint NFL football practice with the Houston Texans Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state appeals court is being asked to dismiss felony voter misconduct charges against an Alaska resident born in American Samoa, one of numerous cases that have drawn attention to the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory.

In arguments Thursday, attorneys for Tupe Smith plan to ask the Alaska Court of Appeals in Anchorage to reverse a lower court's decision that let stand the indictment brought against her. Her supporters say she made an innocent mistake that does not merit charges, but the state contends Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship.

Prosecutors also have brought charges against 10 other people from American Samoa in the small Alaska community of Whittier, including Smith’s husband and her mother-in-law. American Samoa is the only U.S. territory where residents are not automatically granted citizenship by being born on American soil and instead are considered U.S. nationals. Paths to citizenship exist, such as naturalization, though that process can be expensive and cumbersome.

American Samoans can serve in the military, obtain U.S. passports and vote in elections in American Samoa, but they cannot hold public office in the U.S. or participate in most U.S. elections.

About 25 people gathered on a snowy street outside the courthouse before Thursday's hearing to support Smith. One woman, Fran Seager of Palmer, held a sign that said, “Support our Samoans. They are US nationals.”

Smith's husband, Michael Pese, thanked the American Samoa community in the Anchorage area. “If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be strong enough to face this head on,” he said.

State Sen. Forrest Dunbar, a Democrat who attended the rally, said the Alaska Department of Law has limited resources.

“We should be going after people who are genuine criminals, who are violent criminals, or at least have the intent to deceive,” he said. “I do not think it is a good use of our limited state resources to go after these hardworking, taxpaying Alaskans who are not criminals.”

Smith was arrested after winning election to a regional school board in 2023. She said she relied on erroneous information from local election officials when she identified herself as a U.S. citizen on voter registration forms.

In a court filing in 2024, one of her previous attorneys said that when Smith answered questions from the Alaska state trooper who arrested her, she said she was aware that she could not vote in presidential elections but was “unaware of any other restrictions on her ability to vote.”

Smith said she marks herself as a U.S. national on paperwork. But when there was no such option on voter registration forms, she was told by city representatives that it was appropriate to mark U.S. citizen, according to the filing.

Smith “exercised what she believed was her right to vote in a local election. She did so without any intent to mislead or deceive anyone,” her current attorneys said in a filing in September. “Her belief that U.S. nationals may vote in local elections, which was supported by advice from City of Whittier election officials, was simply mistaken.”

The state has said Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship. Prosecutors pointed to the language on the voter application forms she filled out in 2020 and 2022, which explicitly said that if the applicant was not at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, “do not complete this form, as you are not eligible to vote.”

The counts Smith was indicted on “did not have anything to do with her belief in her ability to vote in certain elections; rather they concerned the straightforward question of whether or not Smith intentionally and falsely swore she was a United States citizen,” Kayla Doyle, an assistant attorney general, said in court filings last year.

One of Smith's attorneys, Neil Weare, co-founder of the Washington-based Right to Democracy Project, said by email last week that if the appeals court lets stand the indictment, Alaska will be “the only state to our knowledge with such a low bar for felony voter fraud.”

Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

Michael Pese and his wife, Tupe Smith, stand outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Michael Pese, left, his wife, Tupe Smith, and their son Maximus pose for a photo outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

FILE - Tupe Smith poses for a photo outside the school in Whittier, Alaska, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)