What Jalen Milroe said to Bryce Young in Injury Tent

The two quarterbacks share a special bond according to Milroe, who replaced Young after the injury in the win over Arkansas.

Katie Windham | Oct 1, 2022

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Alabama Crimson Tide

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Alabama's star quarterback Bryce Young exited the Arkansas game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and spent several minutes in the sideline injury tent.

Before the Crimson Tide knew the extent of the injury, backup quarterback Jalen Milroe was seen going into the tent. Shortly after, the staff stopped letting players into the tent.

"Biggest thing I told him was that I love him," Milroe said. "Our bond that we have off the field speaks much greater than football. Anything I know is that I love him, and we love each other. I was just seeing how he was doing, checking up on him. But he just gave me some words of advice. Biggest thing I wanted to tell him was that God was with him, and I love him."

And what was the advice Young gave Milroe before the backup quarterback took the field for the first meaningful snaps of his career against an SEC opponent?

"To stay calm, cool and collected, just fall back on your level of training," Milroe said. "Me and him have a great bond at practice. The biggest thing at practice is that I have a great quarterback in front of me, so just learning from him."

Because of their relationship off the field, Milroe's biggest concern was for Young's well-being after the injury.

"First thought I had was just talk to God—ask for protection, healing," Milroe said. "Just know that He was with him. So the first thing I did was talk to God. I had a one-on-one conversation with God.”

Milroe would go on to help Alabama score its final 35 points in Young's absence for the eventual 49-26 win over the Razorbacks.

After the game, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said they are hopeful for Young's return, but he is day-to-day with a sprained shoulder.

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.

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