TUSCALOOSA, Alabama Jalen Milroe stated this preseason that he felt as confident, ready, and at ease as he has ever felt as a quarterback—even before he had ever played a game under Alabama’s new coaching staff.
“Returning to high school even. I’m comfortable being myself out there,” Milroe said to ESPN.
It’s one thing to declare something like that. It’s another to deliver, and through four games, Milroe has done just that for the Crimson Tide on numerous occasions. Most recently, on Saturday night, he turned in a brilliant effort in an exciting 41-34 victory over Georgia, which was ranked No. 2, propelling Alabama to the top of the most recent AP poll.
In addition to running for 117 yards and two more scores, Milroe tossed for 374 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 75-yard pass to Ryan Williams. He has tossed for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns in each of the season’s first four games. With just one interception, he has completed 72.9% of his throws and holds the second-best passer rating in the country (204.7).
Coach Kalen DeBoer of Alabama remarked of his redshirt junior quarterback, “I think he was exceptional.” “I didn’t want to jump the gun, but over the past few weeks, I’ve felt like that a lot, and it all began when he made those plays in the Wisconsin game after finding some rhythm. He’s a weapon out there, using both his feet and his air force, though it doesn’t mean he’s flawless.”
It’s not just DeBoer that thinks that way.
While October is just barely arriving, Milroe is already making significant progress on NFL teams’ draft boards and has emerged as a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
One NFL scout told ESPN, “He’s always been a dynamic athlete, but he’s grown as a quarterback under this staff.” “He appears more at ease and engaged. He was a tremendous athlete last season, rushing around and making plays at quarterback. He now has a far more impressive athletic build and appears to be a quarterback who still makes big plays.”
Although Milroe doesn’t want to brag, he did call his shot. Having spent the entire offseason working with offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan—who calls plays for the Tide—he recognized this coming and hasn’t held back when discussing the significance of playing for coaches that “truly believe in me.”
He said that was not a jab at former head coach Nick Saban, who benched Milroe against South Florida in Week 3 of the previous season following his two-interception performance in a Texas home defeat. Instead, Milroe stated that it’s a support of the current coaching staff and how they’ve allowed him the freedom to play the way he wants to while still honing his craft.
“I have a great coaching staff that believes in me,” Milroe remarked. “I have teammates that believe in me, and that’s all that matters.”
For the Crimson Tide, the relationship between Milroe and Williams has been electrifying, and Williams stated he has only needed to follow Milroe’s example.
“He’s an amazing player. Regarding his quarterback, Williams remarked, “He improves every single day.” “I have to emphasize this. He genuinely improves every day, and everyone else does too because of the kind of atmosphere we have where people turn away from one another if they aren’t improving.”
Last year, Milroe came in sixth place in the Heisman Trophy vote. According to Alabama coach Nick Saban, Milroe’s late-season metamorphosis was crucial to the team’s run to the College Football Playoffs.
However, Milroe has improved in areas that a quarterback must in order to transition from being very excellent to being outstanding, like accuracy, trusting his receivers, and knowing when to run and when to hang in the pocket and throw. Through four games, he has scored 18 touchdowns in all. Furthermore, Sheridan’s strategy for Milroe’s matchup with Georgia was as solid as it got. Alabama’s first four possessions resulted in touchdowns. With his quickness, Milroe split the Bulldogs on the edge after completing his first 11 throws.
“We took the next step,” stated DeBoer, whose quarterback, Michael Penix, led the nation in passing yards and touchdown passes with 4,903 yards his final season at Washington. Guys don’t necessarily need to be extroverted at this point. We’ve made progress in our passing game when you saw [Milroe] throw to open receivers and the receivers anticipating that, ‘Hey, I’m going to get the ball.’ If we can continue doing those things, we’ll be difficult to defend.”
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Milroe “may be the best running back in the nation… and he throws the ball,” according to Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
Defense coordinators on the other side are perplexed by this combo.
“You need to identify your poison,” stated Smart. “Do you want the guy to run faster than you? Would you like to try keeping an eye on him and playing loose coverage to prevent him from taking off?”
Alabama led 28-0 after Jalen Milroe demonstrated his explosiveness with a 36-yard touchdown run. Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox
Georgia’s strategy called for forcing Milroe to toss the ball once Alabama entered the red zone.
It wasn’t necessary for us to. He skirted us,” complained Smart.
The 36-yard rush around the right side that gave Alabama a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter, beating Georgia’s Malaki Starks to the edge, was the play that best demonstrated Milroe’s explosiveness.
“We had our best player on him on fourth-and-1, and he outran him to the sideline and then turned it up and scored,” Smart said. “I think you could accomplish it if you could simply stop him and not worry about him throwing it. However, it’s very difficult to stop when he’s throwing it well and they’re catching it well.”
Coaches and players alike at the Alabama football complex took note of Milroe’s elegance and modesty as he spoke with the media late on Saturday night. The ties in Alabama’s locker room have only gotten stronger, according to DeBoer, as a result of Milroe’s development as a leader and his ability to control his emotions.
After the game, Milroe was wearing a Jalen Hurts shirt. They both experienced being benched at some time throughout their careers in Alabama, which unites their experiences. When questioned about the former Alabama quarterback who attended Oklahoma for his final collegiate year, Milroe gave a reverent nod.
Hurts, who is currently the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, is still very well-liked by Alabama supporters. After the offense faltered in the first half of the 2017 national championship game, he was replaced at halftime by Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa then threw the game-winning touchdown pass in the closing seconds to defeat Georgia. Hurts made the decision to rejoin Alabama for the 2018 year, and he used his bench presence to help Alabama overcome the Bulldogs 35-28 in the SEC title game after Tagovailoa sustained an injury.
“Jalen Hurts is a great person to look at when it comes to handling adversity, when it comes to playing the position,” Milroe said. “I was raised in Texas. One of the reasons I attended the University of Alabama was because of him. He was a Texas boy. I chose to represent Jalen Hurts today because he came in at the conclusion of the game when Alabama played Georgia [in 2018].
Then Milroe saluted and turned to face the cameras.
“He’s observing outside. Hi, Jalen Hurts,” murmured Milroe. “But no, Jalen Hurts is my favorite. He’s an excellent quarterback in my opinion, so I simply wanted to speak for him.”
Milroe will do more than merely represent him if he continues in this manner. In the NFL, he’ll soon join him.
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