Paul Finebaum: It is unfair to place blame on Jalen Milroe for Alabama struggles

For Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, his time in college came to a frustrating end when he struggled in a loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the ReliaQuest Bowl. That capped off a 9-4 season, the worst at Alabama since 2007.

Those struggles have led to some criticism being placed on the shoulders of Jalen Milroe. However, as Paul Finebaum explained on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, he doesn’t think it’s right to put the blame on Milroe.

“I believe that’s unfair,” Paul Finebaum said. “Jalen Milroe did a lot of good things. He’s the quarterback. He’s the face of the program, but, ultimately, I tend to blame the coaches. If they don’t think he’s capable, then he shouldn’t play. We went through that last year, we didn’t coach through it this year.”

Jalen Milroe first came to Alabama in the Class of 2021 as a four-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He became the starting quarterback in 2023, aside from one game being benched, and would hold that role for two seasons, starting under two different coaching staffs.

For his college career, Milroe completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 6,016 yards and 45 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career.

“For me, it’s a little bit of piling on and no matter what we say here this morning,” Finebaum said. “I’m afraid I know how the narrative is going to be written and remembered because that’s just the legacy of quarterbacks. We tend to remember whether you won a championship or not, whether you fell short in the biggest games, and I think for Jalen Milroe people will remember the end of the Rose Bowl game and sadly they will remember the end of the ReliaQuest Bowl game.”

Over the course of his time at Alabama, Jalen Milroe did have some frustrating losses. The Rose Bowl, which doubled as a College Football Playoff game for the 2023-24 season ended with Milroe coming up short at the goalline. The next year, in the ReliaQuest Bowl, he again failed to score late to take the lead. Both of those games, incidentally, were against Michigan.

At the same time, there were plenty of big wins. That included a last-minute desperation heave to beat Auburn in 2023 and the SEC Championship that season.

Jalen Milroe did have the option to return to Alabama next season. However, he made the decision to move on and try the NFL Draft. That will be a new challenge for him while the Crimson Tide now needs to find a way to replace him.