Aaron Judge gifts Jalen Milroe bat in exchange for Alabama jersey

Alabama signal-caller Jalen Milroe is poised for a big-time season on the gridiron this fall. But first, the Crimson Tide quarterback got to enjoy a little bit of a vacation. He was at batting practice with the New York Yankees on Wednesday. Milroe got to spend some time with superstar, Aaron Judge. So, the two decided to do an exchange.

Judge gave Milroe one of his bats and Milroe gave Judge an Alabama jersey in return.

Aaron Judge gave Alabama QB Jalen Milroe one of his bats. Milroe gave Judge an Alabama jersey in return. pic.twitter.com/u38xemsOva

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 24, 2024

Jalen Milroe had an unsteady start to the 2023 season. That included a difficult home loss against the Texas Longhorns that ended up being Alabama’s only regular season loss.

That loss is still a game that Milroe knows he can learn from and continue to improve as a player moving forward.

“I see every game as a learning experience,” Jalen Milroe said. “No matter if it’s my best game, worst game, I see every game as a learning experience. And every game you might want that play back. ‘Agh, I want that play back. Man, I wish.’ It’s all a part of it, and with your journey, you can always reflect and say, ‘Hey, what are some things we did well at, some things we didn’t do as great at.’”

In the 34-24 loss to Texas, Jalen Milroe completed 14 out of 27 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also ran for 44 yards on 15 carries. In the process, he was outshined by Texas’ Quinn Ewers and ended up being benched for the USF game the next week before earning his job back.

After that benching, Milroe came back better than he was before and finished the season strong as he learned from those difficult games.

“So, narrowing it down to that focus, that’s gonna uplift you. That’s gonna get you through tough times. That’s gonna get you through anything on your journey and past experiences,” Milroe said. “So, what a great opportunity to learn and grow from that game, especially playing with a team that played in the Playoff and played at a high level. So, it was just a great opportunity to just learn.”

Both Alabama and Texas ended up being excellent in 2023, with the two going 11-1 in the regular season and winning their respective conference championships. That led to both teams making the College Football Playoff, where they lost in the first round preventing a rematch in the championship game.

Now, Alabama and Texas share a conference. However, they’re not scheduled to play in 2024 unless the two find a way to meet in the postseason.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.