Kalen DeBoer defends decision to stick with Jalen Milroe in ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan

Kalen DeBoer was sticking with Jalen Milroe no matter the circumstance.

Amid a torrential downpour in the first quarter of Tuesday’s ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan, the Alabama‘s junior starting quarterback got off to another horrid start.

That included Milroe accounting for four turnovers — two lost fumbles, an interception and a fourth-down sack that led to a turnover on downs — all in the span of five plays as the Wolverines built an early 16-0 lead in game’s first 13 minutes.

Despite those early issues, DeBoer never contemplated sitting Milroe down and playing sophomore Alabama backup quarterback Ty Simpson.

“No, I didn’t,” DeBoer said Tuesday following Michigan’s 19-13 win inside Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, per The Next Round Live. “I just felt like, there were still things he did (well), like we scored a field goal. With him using his legs, we went 95-plus yards in less than a minute. So just that factor and what we needed with him and his mobility added to the run game, I felt like that was the swap right there.”

Milroe and the Tide ground game helped sparked Alabama’s first two scoring drives, the first capped by a 25-yard touchdown from Milroe to tight end Robbie Ouzts to cut Michigan’s lead to 16-7 with 4:06 left in the second quarter. Milroe then produced a pair of 40-yard plays on the next offensive series, including a 41-yard run to get into Wolverines territory and set up a 24-yard field goal by Graham Nicholson to pull within 16-10 by halftime.

Still, the early mistakes proved too much to overcome as Milroe finished 16-of-32 for 192 yards with the one touchdown and one interception, but managed just seven rushing yards on 16 carries as he was sacked five times in the game.

“So, (with) the interception early, and a lot of the incompletions happened in downs and distances that weren’t favorable or (our) back’s to the wall and had to throw the ball at the end of the first half, end of the second here,” DeBoer added. “So that gets away from you with the completion percentage. But I think there were still a lot of good plays that he made too.

“I saw, I guess, a fighter, the fight in his eyes. And as long as I see that, I want to hang in there with the guys that this program means a lot to.”

Jordan Rodgers criticizes Jalen Milroe’s 2024 season

All signs point to Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe leaning towards entering the 2025 NFL Draft. But SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers believes that would be a mistake.

Rodgers spoke with Paul Finebaum after Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl and shared that he doesn’t believe Milroe is ready for the NFL.

“Look, he’s not going to come back, I don’t think. But I think he absolutely should come back,” Jordan Rodgers said. “Because you didn’t see growth this year. You didn’t see a guy develop as more than just an athlete.

“He’s dynamic. When he takes off and runs, he had that long run before the half that got them in position for a field goal. Some of the stuff that he does is unbelievable. But he did not develop as a passer from in the pocket.”

Milroe finished the 2024 season with 2,652 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 719 yards and 20 scores on the ground.

Matt Connolly contributed to this report.