Bryce Young shares update on Jalen Milroe's improvement this spring

Bryce Young is the quarterback who gets all of the attention at Alabama, and rightfully so, but the Crimson Tide have some other talented signal-callers on their roster – including Jalen Milroe. A former On3 Consensus four-star recruit, Milroe is heading into his redshirt freshman season in Tuscaloosa and has been progressing throughout the Tide’s spring practices this offseason.

A 6-foot-2, 212-pound quarterback out of Katy, Texas, Milroe was heavily recruited coming out of Tompkins High School but ultimately made the decision to take his talents to Alabama – even though Young was already in place as the team’s starter. However, while playing behind the Heisman Trophy winner, Milroe has been able to learn and grow as a quarterback in the Tide’s system – and that’s paying off for him.

Meeting with the media on Tuesday, Young was asked about Milroe and how he’s seen the backup quarterback progress up to this point.

“J-Mil is someone I’m obviously super close with,” Young said of Milroe. “I’m around him as much as anyone. To see the growth from him coming in as a young player last year and really just trying to learn the offense and understand the reads and try to piece things together, just like I was my freshman year.

“Now, to take this next leap up, you can see him be more and more comfortable. You see him make decisions in the pocket, you see him make pre-snap reads, pre-snap adjustments, post-snap adjustments – and you can tell he’s really starting to piece things together. Also, I’ve seen how he’s matured as a leader. I’m super happy for him, and I know he’s going to keep working and getting better.”

Milroe appeared in four of Alabama’s games as a true freshman in 2021, competing 3-of-7 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 57 yards on 15 carries. Although Young is the clear-cut starter, Milroe is certainly the next man up in the Tide’s quarterback room.