Kalen DeBoer labels Jalen Milroe as 'special'

Jalen Milroe enters his second year as Alabama‘s starting quarterback, but the circumstances are completely different compared to this time last year.

Milroe has been tasked with learning a new offense under first-year Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer. After mastering Nick Saban’s offense less than a year ago and nearly taking Michigan the distance in the Rose Bowl, DeBoer had high praise for Milroe’s adaptability to his offense this spring.

“He’s special,” DeBoer told ‘Bussin with the Boys’ Will Compton in a sit-down interview. “He just has a heart of gold. He wants it so badly, both personally and also for this program. He takes on the responsibilities of being the quarterback at Alabama with such grace. He’s there for others, he’s willing to give as much as he can. Sometimes I’m, you know, just always checking in with him to make sure he’s good because he gets pulled in a lot of different directions.

“But in the end, he loves getting out there. He loves the game of football, I mean, we’ve talked about that a number of times. He just loves everything that surrounds it, from the teamwork and the leadership that is asked of him to just working on the daily skills. He loves the film. He just loves so much about the game itself. And it’s fun being around guys that are willing to put in all the things make the sacrifices needed to go be great.”

DeBoer was transparent after Alabama’s first spring practice, saying that Milroe was running with the first team from day one. Obviously he’s never looked back.

With former five-star recruit Ty Simpson remaining on the roster for the 2024 season, there was a bit of debate on who DeBoer would go with. Those questions, for now, seem to be answered and were well confirmed at A-Day last month.

As the presumed starter for the 2024 season, Milroe played sparingly for the Crimson Tide during the spring game. He finished the game completing 3 of his 9 passes for 100 yards — including a 52-yard connection to Germie Bernard, who finished the day with three receptions going for 122 yards.

While he wasn’t able to find his way into the end zone at A-Day, Milroe’s resume speaks for itself. In 2023, he got better as the season progressed, leading Alabama to a 12-2 overall record and an SEC Championship victory over Georgia, which helped push the Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff where they eventually fell to eventual national champions Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

Milroe finished last season with 2,718 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He was also a significant threat on the ground, finishing the season with 468 rushing yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns on the ground. That type of dual-threat ability bodes well for DeBoer’s fast-paced offense.

Alabama will kick the Kalen DeBoer era off with a Week 1 matchup against Western Kentucky on Aug. 31 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. They’ll begin SEC play with a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship game against UGA — a game the entire nation will have its eyes on.