Bama Central

Inside Jalen Milroe's Journey From Benching to Elite Quarterback Status

After shaking off early season growing pains, the redshirt-sophomore sensation has No. 8 Alabama back on track.

Mathey Gibson

It’s hard to follow in the footsteps of a legend.

For two years, former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young carried the load for the Crimson Tide — playing the position to a near perfect degree of excellence previously unseen in Tuscaloosa.

While Young never captured a national championship as a starter, the hardware came in droves — winning the Heisman Trophy in 2021 alongside the Davey O’Brien Award, Maxwell Award and Manning Award while nabbing consensus All-American honors as a sophomore.

Waiting in the wings behind Young was a talented, lanky project with a rocket arm and show-stopping speed that could drop jaws.

His name? Jalen Milroe — a former four-star quarterback hailing from Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas.

Standing 6-foot-2, 206-pounds, Milroe was as raw as a quarterback prospect could come — with accuracy and decision-making question marks shrouding his recruitment behind a tantalizing and projectable skillset that every college coach is looking for in a young player at his position.

As a freshman, Milroe didn’t see much time on the field as he busted his chops behind the future No. 1 overall pick in Young — playing in only four games and tossing a lone 24-yard touchdown pass vs. Southern Mississippi before redshirting. Milroe hit the weight room, too, bulking up to 220-pounds by season’s end.

As a sophomore, Milroe was thrusted into action as the primary backup after Young exited the Arkansas game with a shoulder injury — immediately catching eyes with his breakaway ability.

A week later versus Texas A&M, Milroe earned his first career start as Young continued his recovery — completing 12-of-19 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns with an interception while carrying the ball 17 times for 81 yards in the Crimson Tide’s 24-20 victory.

As Young regained his health, Alabama sputtered — crawling its way to a 45-20 Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State to conclude the season at 11-2.

By April, Young was a Carolina Panther and Milroe was ready for his next opportunity. 

After fending off former four-star recruit Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner during a heated offseason competition, Milroe was officially named the Crimson Tide's opening week starter versus Middle Tennessee State. 

It didn't take long for Milroe to make his mark on the season, as the junior quarterback earned SEC co-offensive player of the week honors after completing 13-of-18 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns while adding an additional 48 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a 56-7 victory. 

After the performance, Milroe found himself with the seventh best odds to win the Heisman Trophy — standing at a +2000 bet after week one.

What ensued the following week could only be considered a complete disaster. 

In front of a then season-high 8.76 million viewers on ESPN, Alabama was embarrassed by Steve Sarkisian's No. 11 Texas Longhorns — losing at home 34-24.

Throughout the course of the night, Milroe looked inept. Play after play, the Longhorns managed to disguise coverages and consistently forced Milroe into costly mistakes as he finished the game completing 14-for-27 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns while firing two game-altering interceptions. 

When asked if a replacement versus Texas was considered, Alabama head coach Nick Saban admitted that the thought was considered, but ultimately not acted upon.

"I did, but when he put the drive together to go down the field and score [...] I thought that gave him a lot of confidence."

While Milroe struggled, Saban was still complementary of his performance through adversity. 

"I didn't see a bad look from (Milroe) on the sideline, ever. He was into it. He was talking to Tommy [Rees] [...] he certainly didn't get the poor me's over any of it. He competed."

If the Texas game was a disaster, the Crimson Tide's showing a week later versus South Florida was a nightmare.

Milroe, however, found himself on the bench — with Buchner earning the starting nod.

On a rainy day at Raymond James Stadium, the two teams were deadlocked in a 3-3 tie at halftime as Buchner struggled mightily. Simpson, however, led the team to 17 unanswered points to pull out the victory late in the fourth quarter.

When asked about Milroe's lack of playing time versus the Bulls, Saban noted that he simply wanted to give Buchner and Simpson a fair opportunity.

“That was it. Nothing else,” Saban said. “I’ve got confidence in Jalen. I believe in him. The one thing that we’ve always talked about is you make enough good plays but you’ve got to eliminate the devastating plays, the ones that are killers. It happened twice in the Texas game but I think he’s learned from it.”

From that moment on, the Crimson Tide had its permanent starter in Milroe, as Saban lauded his resiliency after the game.

“In the end, I think all of it will be helpful to Jalen and we’ve got to play better around him and put him in positions to do what he does best,” Saban said. “I’ve been pleased with the way he’s responded.”

Against No. 15 Ole Miss, it was much of the same offensively — flashes of brightness and explosiveness, but no real cohesiveness, as Milroe completed 17-for-21 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown with an interception in a 24-10 victory at home.

The following week, the Crimson Tide stuck with the ground game, as Milroe was efficient in limited action through the air — completing 10-for-12 passes for 163 yards while rushing for 69 yards on the ground, including a 54-yard scramble touchdown, as Alabama defeated Mississippi State 40-17 in Starkville.

As Alabama rolled into College Station, Milroe put on a show versus Texas A&M — completing 21-for-33 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-20 victory.

After the game, Saban was pleased with Milroe's progression as a leader and decision maker.

"And that's something he's learned and is doing a lot better," Saban said "Staying much more positive on the sidelines, communicating well with his teammates and coaches in terms of what he saw, what he didn't see, what he needs to do to get it corrected. So that's something that comes a little bit with experience. But I also think it comes with awareness, and I think we're making good progress in both areas."

A week later versus Arkansas, the Crimson Tide squeaked by the Razorbacks at home as Milroe struggled — completing just 10-for-21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns while adding an additional score on the ground.

In a grudge match versus No. 17 Tennessee, Alabama avenged the 52-49 loss last season in Knoxville, as Milroe completed 14-for-21 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns with a lone interception in a gritty 34-20 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

That's when things began to click.

In another rivalry matchup versus No. 14 LSU, Milroe out-dueled Heisman frontrunner Jayden Daniels — completing 15-for-23 passes for 219 yards while adding 155 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in a 42-28 victory. It was the first time in history that an Alabama quarterback tallied four rushing touchdowns in a game. 

When asked about Milroe's usage in the running game, Saban praised Milroe's ability to keep defenses guessing on a week-to-week basis. 

“You know, we want to take what the defense gives," Saban said. "So, in certain cases, his running ability is going to be a factor for us and we want to utilize that as best we can. In other cases, the skill guys and the arm talent that he has is something that we can take advantage of. So it’s kind of a combination of both, you know, moving forward.”

After the game, Milroe was critical of his performance — further showing his growth as a leader and player.

"I'm focused on trying to get better," Milroe said. "I'm not ... where I want to be at, and there's some things I need to improve on. So I'm really just trying to be the best teammate I can be learning, learning and growing. Because like I said, I'm not a finished product ... and some things I need to fix from this game."

A week later, the Crimson Tide took Lexington by storm, as Milroe completed 15-for-22 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns through the air while adding an additional 36 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in a 49-21 victory over Kentucky on the road. 

Alabama subsequently made quick work of Chattanooga, as Milroe was efficient once more — completing 13-for-16 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-10 shellacking. 

As the Crimson Tide get set for Iron Bowl week, Milroe's Heisman odds have moved back to sixth nationally — a long-shot +12500 bet.

While he likely won't come close to winning, it's certainly feasible that with a dominant performance versus Auburn, Milroe could find himself with an invite to New York — an impressive mark for a player once benched after the second game of the season.

In any scenario, it's unquestioned that Alabama has its quarterback of the present and the future — and an elite one, at that. 

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Breaking: Deontae Lawson, Jaylen Key Set to Return for Iron Bowl

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Mathey Gibson
MATHEY GIBSON

Mathey Gibson is a senior at the University of Alabama and intern for both BamaCentral.com and BravesToday.com. A National Hearst Award finalist and winner of the 2023 James E. Jacobson Award for Writing, you can find him on Twitter @Mathey_Gibson1.

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