Nick Saban admits he benched Jalen Milroe to get him to buy in to new style of play

After Alabama’s Week 2 loss to Texas last year, the Crimson Tide were suddenly in the middle of a quarterback controversy. Nick Saban benched Jalen Milroe for the following matchup against USF, meaning Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson got some looks under center early in the year.

The reason for Saban’s decision wasn’t necessarily because of what happened the week before, though. Instead, he and the staff wanted Milroe to adapt to a new playing style – and the legendary coach needed to convey that message.

During SEC Media Days, Saban explained his decision to bench Milroe just three games into the season. Of course, he later got the job back and helped Alabama to a College Football Playoff appearance. But that Week 3 wake-up call became a turning point.

“One of the things we were trying to get Jalen to do is change his style a little bit as a player and be that point guard type of guy that I talked about before,” Saban said. “It took us taking his job away to get him to be able to buy into that. When he did, he became a much better player, much better leader. He developed the confidence of the team.

“When you’re a quarterback and the receiver knows who’s supposed to get the ball on a certain route and what the read is, and if the quarterback doesn’t execute that, you start to lose confidence in the quarterback. So, all those things were in play, and once we accomplished that after that third game, Jalen started to realize how important those things were.”

Nick Saban: Jalen Milroe will be ‘an outstanding player’ this year

Milroe shined down the stretch last season and ended the season with 2,834 passing yards, 531 rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns – 23 in the air and 12 on the ground. But after that success, he’s switching schemes.

Kalen DeBoer helped take Washington to the national championship last year with his high-powered offense, led by future Top-10 draft pick Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback. Milroe will now get the keys to the car after staying in Tuscaloosa after Saban’s retirement, and his former coach thinks he could be in for a big year.

However, there’s a catch. Saban argued it’ll take more than the quarterback for Alabama’s offense to find success this season.

“Moving forward for this year, I think Jalen’s going to be an outstanding player,” Saban said. “But I think – and Greg (McElroy) knows this – quarterback is the most difficult position, maybe in sports to play, if the people around you don’t play well. So, the offensive line is going to be a real key. Getting Kadyn Proctor back is going to help them at the tackle position, which is critical for pass protection, but their ability to run the ball.

“They got a couple really good runners in Jam [Miller] and [Justice Haynes], and they’ve got some really good receivers. For those people to play well, it’s going to help Jalen be all he can be as a player too, and them having confidence in each other will certainly help and enhance offensive success.”