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Alabama QB Jalen Milroe: 'I will be playing' vs. Michigan in ReliaQuest Bowl

The Crimson Tide will have their starting quarterback on New Year's Eve against the Wolverines...

Matt Lounsberry

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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When Michigan squares off with No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31, the Crimson Tide will have their starting quarterback.

Redshirt junior signal-caller Jalen Milroe told reporters, "I will be playing" when asked about his status for the bowl game on New Year's Eve in Tampa, Fla. Milroe, who is eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft, has not made a decision yet on whether he will enter the draft.

“The mission right now is to complete the season. We have one more mission ahead, which is attacking Michigan," Milroe said. "That's the whole thought process right now, being our absolute best, take care of our business when it goes to playing in Tampa. So, it's all about going 1-0, preparing the right way. So, that's where my focus is at, winning this game, preparing the right way, taking care of my body so we'll be our best us."

Bowl season can be difficult for coaches to navigate, with both the transfer portal and NFL Draft opt-outs often ravishing their rosters in the weeks leading up to postseason games. Michigan has already seen several players enter the portal, while star defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson have announced decisions to forgo the bowl game to prepare for the draft. The Wolverines await decisions from defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and tight end Colston Loveland, as well.

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, meanwhile, told reporters on Sunday that he does not expect many opt-outs for the Crimson Tide in the bowl game.

This will be the second consecutive year in which the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide square off in postseason play. A year ago, Michigan defeated Alabama in the Rose Bowl on it's way to defeating DeBoer's previous team, the Washington Huskies, in the national championship game.

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