Jalen Milroe working to improve ball security

This offseason, Alabama had a quarterback competition that Jalen Milroe ultimately came out on top of. That was despite the turnover concerns that presented themselves when he got into games in relief of Bryce Young last season.

Now, as Milroe explained, he’s been focused on improving his ball security.

“That’s one area I definitely want to improve on,” Jalen Milroe said. “You protect the football, that’s the key thing that you said, and no matter who it is at the quarterback position, the biggest thing they want to do is protect the ball. That’s one thing that I want to improve on.”

Last season, Jalen Milroe threw three interceptions on 53 pass attempts. He also had a fumbling issue, which led to criticism from head coach Nick Saban. However, in the opener against Middle Tennessee State, Milroe played a key game without any turnovers while leading the offense in a blowout.

“You just have to have a next play mentality, no matter what play it is. No matter if it’s a touchdown, a missed pass, no matter what it is, you’ve got to have that next play mentality. That’s one thing I tried to harp on this offseason when I trained.”

After the game against Middle Tennessee State, Jalen Milroe explained that he just wants to improve.

“I think it was a start. It was a start for everything and the one thing that I want to do is just improve,” Milroe said. “That’s one thing I wanted to do was appreciate the win, number one. But, also, look in the mirror and try to look at, ‘Hey, how can I be a better leader? How can I be a better passer? How can I be more efficient?’. So just, overall, just trying to improve.”

Next, Alabama will host Texas. For Milroe, this is going to be a much bigger challenge than MTSU and will likely go a long way in showing how much he has grown in taking care of the football.

Steve Sarkisian on what concerns him facing Jalen Milroe

Ahead of their meeting, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian shared some thoughts on Jalen Milroe and his skillset.

“Jalen is a fantastic player,” Sarkisian said. “I got a chance to recruit him out of high school. He’s got a dynamic arm. He can make every throw in the book. Off platform, on the run, doesn’t matter. He’s a tremendous runner. He’s an elite runner with the ball in his hand with his speed and his physicality. And he’s highly competitive. He’s a really good leader.”