Kirby Smart evaluates Jalen Milroe, his ability to run

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe has been a disaster for coach’s to try and defend for most of the season due to his dual-threat ability. Now, ahead of the SEC Championship, Kirby Smart isn’t shying away from the challenge that the Crimson Tide quarterback will present.

Smart spoke highly of Milroe and his skillset during his press conference on Monday. He noted how he runs both off scrambles and designs and how that can confuse and cause problems for defenders. Add in his ability as a quarterback with his traits as a rusher and that’s where he becomes really tricky.

“He has the ability to do both. He is a tremendous, tremendous football player. I didn’t really know, until I got further into the games and watching them last night, how good he really is at what he does,” said Smart. “Anytime you can scramble and extend plays? It makes it harder to defend. When you have the component of designed runs mixed in with that? It complicates it even more because he becomes an extra player, an extra guy to tackle.”

“A physical guy to tackle – a big, physical guy that has running back characteristics but has the ability to throw the ball,” Smart contined. “He throws the ball well, especially off their play-action game. Does a really good job of taking shots and throwing the ball downfield. He sees it well and they have got a massive offensive line to protect him with.”

Then, later in the press conference, Smart shared a comparison for Milroe. The reporter’s question leaned more towards that of Tim Tebow. However, in Smart’s opinion, it’s more like the new style that we see in a player like Lamar Jackson today.

“No offense to Tim Tebow but this guy is different,” said Smart. “Tim? It was just a different running style, a very different running style in terms of what they did and how they did things.”

“This guy? I mean it’s like when I used to my sons who they were playing with on Madden. They’d say, ‘I’m playing with the Ravens’. I’d say, ‘Why are you playing with the Ravens?’. And they would say, ‘They’ve got Lamar Jackson and nobody can tackle him’. Well, this guy is a bigger, physical version of that,” explained Smart. “He’s playing at a different speed than everybody else when you watch it. That’s the way the Madden game was for them – and the guy throws the ball really well.”

Milroe has posted nearly 3,000 yards of offense to go with 33 touchdowns. He has improved as a passer as the year has progressed with just under 230 passing yards per game on a 66.4% completion rate. Plus, as a runner, he has used his legs on 126 carries for 439 yards and a dozen scores.

Milroe is a much different player now than he was at the start of this season. That’s why, ahead of Georgia’s meeting with him in Atlanta this weekend, Smart is taking full note of how difficult he makes it for opposing defenses.

“When you’ve got the ability to run the ball off a designed run and can also run the ball on your scrambles? It just makes it harder to defend,” Smart said.