Nick Saban raves about Jalen Milroe's development, progress through 2023 season

Nick Saban has had a front-row seat to the Jalen Milroe experience in 2023. The good, the bad, and everything in between.

But after Milroe turned in a 300-plus yard passing performance and led Alabama to a win over Texas A&M on the road, Saban had high praise for his quarterback. He offered some insights into Milroe’s growth during an interview on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

“I think his confidence, relationships and understanding with his coaches of exactly what he needs to do as a player has gone way up. And I think that is what has helped his performance. I mean the guy is a talented guy. He can throw the ball accurately down the field. He’s a really athlete. He can extend plays, he can make plays with his feet. So, this progression that we kind of needed for him to just play quarterback has been really, really exponentially improving week-by-week,” Saban said.

Saban noted Milroe’s performance passing against Texas A&M as a notable progression.

Milroe went 21-of-33 for 321 yards and three touchdowns with an interception against the Aggies. He couldn’t add much with his legs, as the Aggies front harassed him all game and sacked him plenty.

“People thought we couldn’t throw the ball and he threw for over 300 yards last week, which we knew we were going to have to do against A&M because of their front, and he did a good job of that. So, continuing his development in all these areas, I think, is really, really important. And he’s been great about it. He’s had a great attitude about it,” Saban said.

Saban added on, noting Milroe is quickly making strides behind the scenes, too. He’s grown not only in his ability to make better decisions and plays on the field, but he’s grown in how he preps, studies and how he relates to his teammates.

That growth in leadership and being a player the team can get behind on Saturdays is, to Saban, a big step in the correct direction.

“I just had a meeting with him. I always meet with him at 11:30 on Thursday and go through the week with him, go through the plan with him. And he’s well-prepared. And very sort of appreciative of how he’s developing the leadership with the other guys on the team. So all these things are real positives,” Saban said.