Nick Saban Praises Jalen Milroe, Not Worried About QB Inexperience in 2021
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Signing a quarterback is of upmost importance in every recruiting class at the University of Alabama under coach Nick Saban.
With Mac Jones off to the NFL, the Crimson Tide signed Thompkins High School standout Jalen Milroe back in December, to fill his spot in the signal caller room.
"We’re always interested in getting a high character, quality quarterback, which we did," Saban told the media via Zoom on Wednesday.
Milroe is one of 14 early enrollees already on campus for the Crimson Tide. During his senior campaign, the Katy, Texas native threw for 1,307 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with only three interceptions.
He also was a threat on the ground, rushing for almost 300 yards and five additional scores.
"We had Jalen in camp way back when and we really liked his skill set," Saban said. "He’s really athletic. He’s really accurate as a passer. He’s got a strong arm. He’s got a really good disposition about himself as a leader and a great personality that I think people can sort of follow. And we’re excited to have him here. He was one of the top guys in the country in our opinion, and we were really happy to get him here."
Milroe joins a group of quarterbacks that include rising sophomore Bryce Young and rising redshirt sophomore Paul Tyson.
In relief of Jones last season, Young went 13-of-22 for 156 yards and one score, while Tyson has only appeared in one game during his Alabama career.
With spring football on the horizon, Saban hopes that all three players can gain meaningful experience that can help the Crimson Tide in the long run.
"And obviously there’s a lot of competition with Bryce and the quarterbacks we have coming back, but we want to help develop them all because we need to develop not only a starter at that position but also depth at that position." Saban added.
Young is presumed favorite to win the starting job in 2021 as, according to DraftKings, has the second-highest odds to win next season's Heisman Trophy behind only Oklahoma's Spencer Rattler.
Not having an experienced quarterback on the roster won't be an issue, Saban says. Rather, the younger players can take what they learned from Jones, who was a Heisman finalist and a Davey O'Brien Award winner, and apply that into the competition this spring, until one of them takes the reigns of the Crimson Tide.
"I think this year was harder to help certainly get guys experience playing games because we played all SEC games or playoff games," Saban said. "So we’re going to have to do a good job of helping these guys develop knowledge and experience and play with confidence.
"But I don’t see how having an older player — I mean Bryce actually played behind a guy that won the Davey O’Brien [Award] this year all year long, saw him practice every day. So I don’t really see how having another guy helps develop a younger guy. I don’t get that for sure or where that sort of assumption comes from. I don’t know that we’d do anything different."