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Joel Klatt details where Jalen Milroe must improve

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh10/03/24

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Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Jalen Milroe, Alabama - © William McLelland-Imagn Images

Compared to where he was a year ago, Jalen Milroe looks like a different quarterback. Last season showed some promise of what Milroe could be for Alabama. Especially with the deep ball, showing off his impressive arm at times.

“If you take last year’s numbers, he was a top-five quarterback throwing the ball down the field,” FOX’s Joel Klatt said. “At the line of scrimmage, top-five quarterback. Anything intermediate, he was about 90th.”

Klatt explained why this is, saying most of the throws Milroe was having success with were likely decided before the snap. Not a ton of progressions coming from him in the Tommy Rees offense. Either throw quickly outside or give your receiver time to run downfield before launching.

Not unusual in the college game, mainly with first-year starting quarterbacks.

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“If you’re throwing the ball deep down the field, that’s widely a presnap decision,” Klatt said. “Or you’re taking the entire progression out and saying ‘I’ve got an alert, I’ve got a deep shot or a check-down.’ You’re minimizing what the entirety of the offense is. If you’re throwing it deep, it’s usually a presnap decision, same for the line of scrimmage.”

Under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, things are beginning to look different. Getting experience under his belt certainly helps but DeBoer has been able to help Milroe develop into a special player. We saw as such during the Georgia game when the intermediate passes were connecting with players.

Not only is the progress from Milroe helping Alabama win big-time games right now but may make him some money down the road.

“I’ve started to see him develop in that area,” Klatt said. “Which makes him much more of a viable quarterback not just this year for Alabama but the NFL. He’s been tremendous.”

Even with the kind words coming from Klatt, he knows there is still room for Milroe to improve. This is just the beginning of the Alabama quarterback showing what he is capable of. Positive signs after working with DeBoer for just a few months.