Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates with fans after the Alabama Crimson Tide victory against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe delays NFL draft decision

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe plans to push back a decision on entering the draft or returning to the Crimson Tide until after the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan on Dec. 31.

Milroe told 247 Sports his focus is on beating the Wolverines, who ended Alabama’s 2023 season in the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff semifinals.

“My thought process right now is finish this game out,” said Milroe, who turned 22 and graduated with a Masters degree last week.

Milroe, who backed up 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young for his first two seasons, is projected as a first-round draft pick if he opts to enter instead of returning to Alabama for his redshirt senior season in 2025.

In 2024, Milroe played for his third different offensive coordinator since landing at Alabama. He racked up 3,371 total yards, 20 rushing touchdowns with 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.

Should first-year coach Kalen DeBoer lose Milroe to the draft, Alabama has Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell on the QB depth chart.

Milroe edged Simpson for the starting job in 2023 and Mack transferred from Washington to follow DeBoer.

A five-star recruit ranked No. 2 overall in the nation, Russell was named the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year last week.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Parker Brailsford (72) after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe rolls into heavy Heisman favorite status

When Jalen Milroe announced last December that he was returning to Alabama for the 2024 season, he didn’t specifically mention the Heisman Trophy as a motivating factor.

If it weren’t already among his goals, Milroe can add it to his list after potentially enjoying his “Heisman moment” in Saturday’s 41-34 victory over bitter rival Georgia.

Milroe owned the fifth-shortest odds over the summer at +1500 at DraftKings. By last week he had moved into the third spot at +700 while watching Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Miami’s Cam Ward cycle through the top spot.

That spot now firmly belongs to Milroe. After accounting for four touchdowns against Georgia, he is now the +250 favorite — by far the shortest odds for any player this season through DraftKings. Milroe is followed by Ward (+500) and Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter, who had shot from +2000 last week to +700 by Monday.

HEISMAN TROPHY ODDS*
PLAYER, TEAM, JULY ODDS, WEEK 1, CURRENT
Jalen Milroe, Alabama, +1500, +1100, +250
Cam Ward, Miami, +2200, +950, +500
Travis Hunter, Colorado, N/A, N/A, +700
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, N/A/, N/A, +1000
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, +750, +800, +1400
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, +1800, +1200, +1500
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, +1400, +850, +1600
Quinn Ewers, Texas, +1000, +1400, +2000
Miller Moss, Southern California, N/A, +2200, +2500
Will Howard, Ohio State, +1500, +1600, +2500
Cade Klubnik, Clemson, N/A, N/A, +2800
Carson Beck, Georgia, +800, +900, +3000
Drew Allar, Penn State, N/A, N/A, +3500
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, N/A, +2200, +4000
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU, +2200, +3500, +4000
Arch Manning, Texas, N/A, N/A, +4500
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame, N/A, N/A, +5500
*DraftKings

Milroe has now thrown for 964 yards with 10 touchdowns against a lone interception this season. He has added a pair of touchdowns on the ground in each of the Crimson Tide’s first four games while racking up 273 yards on the ground.

Hunter has the shortest odds among non-quarterbacks, and he moved up the list following Ewers’ injury and early-season upsets that include Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, who plummeted to +1600 from +850 following the Rebels’ loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

Also rocketing up the list of contenders was Jeanty, who moved from +1000 after the star Boise State running back rumbled for 259 yards and four scores in a blowout win over Washington State. Jeanty now has 845 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground through four games.

Conversely, Beck saw his Heisman hopes hammered after throwing three picks against the Crimson Tide, the last one significantly underthrown and ending the Bulldogs’ final drive in the end zone. After rising as high as +800 over the summer, Beck is now a +3000 Heisman longshot. That’s behind Ewers (+2000), who has missed Texas’ past two games.

–Field Level Media

Georgia coach Kirby Smart leads his team onto the field before the start of the SEC Championship game against Alabama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.

No. 2 Georgia very familiar with QB, getting to know new-look No. 4 Alabama

Georgia coach Kirby Smart spent the weekend getting to know a familiar foe with relatively unfamiliar names at the top.

Smart, a former assistant coach at Alabama under Nick Saban, takes Georgia back to Tuscaloosa this week for a big-ticket SEC showdown with the Crimson Tide.

The meeting of teams ranked in the top five takes Smart to the place he called home for nine years. But even in the region where his children were born, there’s less nostalgia and more nose-to-grindstone for the 48-year-old.

No. 2 Georgia is spending extra time preparing after its bye last week to get more familiar with No. 4 Alabama’s new coaching staff and scheme under Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer was hired after a runner-up national title finish at Washington, replacing Smart’s former boss, Nick Saban.

“Last time we went it was 4-5 years from the time we had lived there. It’s so weird when you play there because you’re in and out,” Smart said. “You’re there, then you’re gone. It’s just different. There’s a lot of people that are still there in the organization that I’m close with and have a lot of respect for, but that’s the case for a lot of these places in the SEC.”

With Saban, a seven-time national title winner, moving to an advisory role at Alabama and working with ESPN as a college football analyst, Saturday’s game on a national stage will be played on the newly-minted Nick Saban Field.

Alabama (3-0) is one of six undefeated teams in the SEC. The Crimson Tide beat Wisconsin in Madison before also enjoying a bye last week.

“They’re different defensively for sure. Obviously the offensive staff and defensive staff changed,” Smart said. “There’s remnants, because the quarterback’s the same. The history there, at Washington with Kalen (DeBoer) and defensively the history Kane (Wommack) has and what they’ve done this year is different.”

No matter the system Alabama runs on offense, Smart said the challenge of getting ready for Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe can be overwhelming. Milroe has 590 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions in the pass-first Alabama offense this season.

“With him, the challenges are immense because he’s an incredible football player,” Smart said. “There is no design to a play that you can draw up and then say, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure this is going to happen on this play with him.’ Because you don’t know what’s going to happen. Sometimes the worst thing you can do is cover everybody with him. Sometimes the best thing you can do is cover everybody. It just depends — are you capable of getting him on the ground and tackling him at times? What matchups do you have?”

Milroe also has two rushing touchdowns in each of the first three Alabama games this season. Milroe completed 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns to beat Georgia 27-24 in the SEC Championship game, his only career start against Smart.

“He’s as different a football player in college football as I’ve played against in a long time,” Smart said. “People think he’s just a runner and that’s not the case. He can do things with his arm other people can’t. He can reach spots on the field and get it there faster than you can break on it better than most arm-talent people. It’s a tremendous challenge to defend people like him.”

–Field Level Media

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer talks to Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) after scoring a touchdown against Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images

No. 4 Alabama anxious for QB Jalen Milroe to step up at Wisconsin

No. 4 Alabama visits Wisconsin for the first time in nearly a century on Saturday sporting a 2-0 record, but the Crimson Tide are still chasing a performance closer to flawless.

Alabama put up 21 points in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter to fight off South Florida last week, recording a 42-16 win in a game it led 14-13 in the third quarter. The Crimson Tide lost three fumbles in the second half, one from quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Milroe enters his third game under DeBoer showing positives to build on in coach Kalen DeBoer’s assessment.

“I think about some touchdown throws that he’s made,” DeBoer said Monday. “Stepping up in the pocket. Those are things I’ve seen where he’s really improved. He’s had a scramble to (tight end CJ) Dippre where he hit him along the sideline … he went to the right hit (wide receiver Germie Bernard) on a scramble.

“So I think eyes down the field, and playing that game that he can play because people worry about his legs where he can run and take off or he can draw the attention to him and throw it, I think that’s been great. When we give him looks where he can make decisions, there’s a lot of time 2-3 choices he can make … I think he’s getting better with every rep we share with him. Always learning. It’s good to grind out a win in the fourth quarter. Just something along those lines.”

DeBoer said his players are looking forward to the challenge ahead at Wisconsin (2-0), which he described as a “great environment.”

“When you are preparing to go play those games, that hostile environment, taking it on and knowing its kind of you versus everyone there. Our guys are looking forward to the challenge,” DeBoer said.

After forcing eight three-and-outs against South Florida with zero explosive pass plays allowed, Alabama wasn’t satisfied.

“Probably the most disappointing thing is we had a number of explosive runs that were given up,” Tide defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said Monday. “Extremely disappointed in the lack of takeaways. We were minus-3 in the turnover margin which is absolutely unacceptable by our defense. It has to be something that we focus on day in and day out. It’s what we preach. It’s who we are. It’s what we believe in.”

Wommack counted two plays when South Florida had open receivers down the field but missed chances he expects Wisconsin to hit. Wommack said Wisconsin has improved running the ball and impressive skill position players who can win one-on-one matchups.

Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson, who had 10 tackles vs. USF, was ejected for targeting and must sit out the first half. He was flagged and tossed after a hit on USF quarterback Byrum Brown for leading with his helmet.

“It’s always disappointing when you have a dynamic player who is not available for one half of the game,” Wommack said. “I’ve looked at (the play) from about every angle I could. I think we’ve told the young man to just keep playing. It is what it is. We’ll deal with it.”

Jefferson also plays special teams and DeBoer said “he’s an important part of what we do.”

–Field Level Media

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team works out Sunday morning in practice as they prepare for the 2024 season. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) listens to directions from Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama set to unveil Jalen Milroe 2.0

Jalen Milroe knows the entire playbook, and he has a hunch about tendencies and audibles in certain situations. But he can hardly contain his excitement in anticipation of putting his offseason of work on display when No. 5 Alabama welcomes Western Kentucky to Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

“As a quarterback I want to see the field in the lens of the head coach,” Milroe said of entering his first game under Kalen DeBoer. “In all areas of the game. It’s been awesome to have that aspect from spring ball, to summer training, now fall camp and transition to the season. There’s been so much growth and so much improvement as a team just always being a sponge for information.

“It processes differently when you get on the field. At the end of the day, at the quarterback position, you simplify the game by being a point guard with the football.”

Milroe said his one-on-one work with DeBoer helped him realize he’s only scratching the surface of his potential. DeBoer is decidedly offensive-minded as compared to predecessor Nick Saban, the seven-time national championship winner who cut his teeth as an assistant to Bill Belichick in Cleveland.

DeBoer, the 2023 coach of the year at Washington, learned a lot about Milroe — as a quarterback, learner and leader — during player-run practices. Giving a semblance of autonomy to his quarterback helped DeBoer discern the value of their private meetings, work in the QB room and areas he could address better.

There is zero question about Milroe’s buy-in under the new coaching staff and DeBoer.

“He believes in me. He loves me. There’s nothing greater than that,” Milroe said. “Beyond the Xs and Os and going over the schemes, it’s the belief system a coach has in a player. You want to do your best each and every day because you have a coach that’s behind you and wants the best for you. It’s been fun. To be around him has been awesome.”

Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan will call plays for Alabama and have Milroe’s ear in the newly adopted headset communication system. But Milroe has shown in the nearly nine months DeBoer has been on the job that he can do more than steer the offense.

“Now it’s really playing football, understanding situations, getting on the same page with both Nick Sheridan, the play caller, and myself and working through all of those things,” DeBoer said Wednesday. “And then there’s the leadership piece, too. You know, he does such a great job of that, both on and off the field. He holds himself to extremely high standard in all ways. And he leads through example, he leads just with his poise and body language and then his words as well.”

Milroe had 35 total touchdowns last season (12 rushing) and had one interception after the month of October in 2023. Western Kentucky was in the top 10 in the country in takeaways, but Milroe said his role isn’t to play perfect. It’s to execute DeBoer’s plan to perfection.

“Coach DeBoer always talks about relentless pursuit of the team’s improvement,” Milroe said.

Teammates are following the lead of Milroe, but that’s nothing new. Offensive lineman Tyler Booker said last month at SEC Media Days that opponents would be seeing Milroe on a “new level” in the DeBoer system.

“I feel like it will allow Jalen to be himself, especially the way I’ve seen coach DeBoer and Jalen interact,” Booker said. “He wants to do what Jalen can do well, build on that, and the other playmakers on offense as well. Letting Jalen play his game is the best thing that we can do.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA;  Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates after hitting Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Jermaine Burton (3) for a touchdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Texas defeated Alabama 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr. -USA TODAY Sports

Alabama reinstates Jalen Milroe as starting QB

Jalen Milroe regained the starting quarterback job for No. 13 Alabama on Monday after sitting out this weekend’s lackluster win against South Florida.

Milroe started the first two games for the Crimson Tide (2-1) but was benched following a 34-24 home loss to Texas on Sept. 9.

Tyler Buchner started Saturday’s 17-3 win against the Bulls and completed just 5 of 14 passes for 34 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Ty Simpson took over late in the first half and was 5-of-9 passing for 73 yards, no TDs and no picks. He ran for a 1-yard TD with 33 seconds left.

Milroe, who won the QB1 battle during the offseason, did not play against USF but still managed to make a strong impression on head coach Nick Saban.

“From a quarterback standpoint, this is all I’m going to say about this,” Nick Saban said Monday. “Jalen really showed the leadership that I was looking for during the game, in terms of supporting his teammates and doing the things he needed to do.

“He’s had the opportunity to play. So have the other guys. Jalen played the best of all those guys and so I think he’s earned the opportunity to be the quarterback.”

Alabama, which fell out of the Top 10 on Sunday for the first time in eight years, opens Southeastern Conference play on Saturday against No. 15 Ole Miss in Tuscaloosa, Miss.

Milroe, a redshirt sophomore who started one game in 2022, is 27-for-45 for 449 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He has also rushed for 92 yards and two scores.

–Field Level Media

Sep 2, 2023; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tyler Buchner (8) scrambles up the field against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders during the second half at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: No. 10 Alabama makes quarterback switch

Quarterback Tyler Buchner will replace Jalen Milroe when No. 10 Alabama visits South Florida on Saturday, multiple outlets reported Friday.

Buchner, a transfer from Notre Dame, followed new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the offseason. He lost a preseason battle to Milroe to replace departed All-America QB Bryce Young, but Buchner has been taking most of the first-team snaps this week in practice, per reports.

Milroe started the first two games for the Crimson Tide (1-1), including last Saturday’s 34-24 loss at home to then-No. 11 Texas, which rose to No. 4 after the upset win. Milroe completed 14 of 27 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said after the defeat that he considered playing another quarterback. Buchner played as a reserve in the Sept. 2 season opener, a 56-7 home victory over Middle Tennessee, and completed 3 of 5 passes for 27 yards and rushed for a 9-yard touchdown.

“We evaluate every position every week. If guys want security in their position, they need to play well,” Saban said Wednesday. “Everybody on our team knows that. I think everybody has responded in a positive way to try to get better and to improve. We’ll constantly evaluate that position as we do every other position.”

A redshirt sophomore, Buchner spent the 2021-22 seasons at Notre Dame, playing in 10 games as a freshman and making three starts as a sophomore before a shoulder injury ended his season.

He passed for 949 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions with the Fighting Irish. Buchner also rushed 82 times for 459 yards and seven TDs.

Milroe, a redshirt sophomore who started one game in 2022, is 27-for-45 for 449 yards with five touchdowns and two picks this season.

–Field Level Media

No depth chart was released by Alabama on Monday, meaning quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) and others are still competing for their spots. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama coach Nick Saban: No depth chart, no distractions

For the first time in 17 seasons as Alabama head coach, Nick Saban ditched the depth chart.

The Crimson Tide coach said Monday there is no need for a formalized list of starters and their backups, otherwise known as the established and accepted depth chart.

Saban said his players “know who should start” as the program continues to resist naming a starting quarterback to replace No. 1 NFL draft pick Bryce Young.

“When we put a depth chart out you all think that’s final. Like this is like etched in stone,” Saban said.

“It creates a lot of distractions on our team with a lot of guys thinking, ‘Well, this guy won the job now and I’m not going to play.’ And quite frankly we don’t need that.”

The QB picture remains under wraps to the public, but Saban sounded like he could be closer to making the call by assessing the pecking order is “sort of taking shape.”

Saban also said starting one quarterback on Saturday against Middle Tennessee won’t close the door for others to take the top spot the following week against Texas.

Sophomore Jalen Milroe, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and true freshman Dylan Lonergan are all still competing for quarterback reps.

“We’re going one day at a time,” Saban said.

–Field Level Media

Dec 31, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (15) warms up before he Crimson Tide   s game with Kansas State  in the 2022 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Favorite emerges in Alabama’s three-headed QB race

Alabama is in a similar boat to several other powerhouse programs as the Crimson Tide approach August without a definitive answer at starting quarterback.

However, the Tide’s situation is even a bit murkier with a trio of potential signal-callers in the picture for the team’s season opener against Middle Tennessee.

Ty Simpson is the current +150 favorite by SportsBetting.ag to be under center for that Sept. 2 game. That’s slightly ahead of Tyler Buchner (+140) and Jalen Milroe (+300).

The trio are competing to replace Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and was named the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback on Wednesday.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said this week that none of his 2023 quarterback options created separation in the spring and so, as with “Grandma Saban’s best cake in the world,” the plan is to “not rush it.”

“She’d say, ‘If I take it out of the oven too soon, it’s gonna turn to mush.’ We have to make sure we let the cake bake,” Saban said.

That oven could continue to be set to bake beyond the season opener, with Alabama set for a showdown against the Texas Longhorns in Week 2.

Alabama also has new coordinators following the exit of Bill O’Brien on offense, but Kevin Steele returned to fill the void at defensive coordinator for his third stint on Saban’s staff.

Tommy Rees has the dual role of coordinator and quarterbacks coach and drew raves from Saban. Rees was offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, where he played quarterback, for current LSU coach Brian Kelly.

“Tommy Rees is one of the brightest young minds I’ve seen in a long time in this business,” Saban said.

Buchner began his career under Rees at Notre Dame, so the two have more familiarity. Meanwhile, Milroe has the edge in on-field experience, having completed 31 of 53 passes for 297 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions last season.

Simpson saw only limited snaps in 2022, completing 4 of 5 passes for 35 yards in appearance in three blowout wins. However, many analysts are expecting the redshirt freshman to emerge as the Tide’s starter.

Simpson named the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year after throwing for 2,827 yards and 41 touchdowns and leading his Westview team to the Class 2A state title as a senior.

Alabama will actually have five scholarship quarterbacks on its roster this season, including Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan.

While there are also quarterback competitions at SEC rivals Georgia and Auburn, oddsmakers believer there are clear frontrunners at both.

Carson Beck is the heavy -700 favorite by the book to start Week 1 for Georgia over Brock Vandagriff (+400); while Payton Thorne is the -200 favorite to start the season for Auburn ahead of Robby Ashford (+150).

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA;  Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) walks off the field after a Crimson Tide victory over the Texas A&M Aggies at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Alabama still uncertain about Bryce Young’s availability

The status of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young remains uncertain for the third-ranked Crimson Tide’s visit to No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner did not play last week in Alabama’s 24-20 win over Texas A&M because of an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. He got hurt during the previous game against Arkansas.

Coach Nick Saban said after practice on Wednesday, “Bryce continues to practice a little bit more. We’ve got him on a little bit of a pitch count just to kind of wean him back into it and see how it goes. So we expect him to do even a little more tomorrow. That’s all I really have to say about that.”

Jalen Milroe played in Young’s spot last week and completed 12 of 19 passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The Crimson Tide were held scoreless on their final four possessions and held on after the Aggies reached their 2-yard line in the final seconds.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of Young and Milroe, “I think you have to prepare for both of them. You have to have a plan even if you know who the starter is because you know there’s gonna be some things that are different depending on if the other guy goes into the football game.

“For us, starting with Coach (Tim) Banks and our defensive staff and our players, understanding who’s in and the types of things that you’re gonna see. Obviously, our calls may adjust in situations based on who the QB is, but you have to prepare for both of them anyways.”

Young has completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,202 yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions. Milroe has a 60.9 percent completion rate for 262 yards with five scoring passes and two interceptions.

The Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) slipped out of the top spot in the rankings this week after the tight escape vs. Texas A&M. The Volunteers (5-0, 2-0) have their highest ranking of the season this week after routing then-No. 25 LSU 40-13 last week.

–Field Level Media