Greg McElroy evaluates QB debate between Georgia's Carson Beck, Alabama's Jalen Milroe
When Georgia faces Alabama on Saturday evening, there will be a ton of factors as to who ends up victorious, but the quarterback matchup in the SEC title game rematch could be the difference.
The Bulldogs will bring Carson Beck, who could go first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft when his collegiate career ends, but he’s coming off one of his worst games with Georgia the last time he took the field against Kentucky. On the other hand, the Crimson Tide will continue to start Jalen Milroe, who’s elevated into a capable, exciting starter after an uneven start to his tenure as the program’s leader last season.
Ahead of the battle between the powerhouses, ESPN’s Greg McElroy elaborated on what makes the two quarterbacks different, and how both will try to lead their teams to victories in Week 5.
“I think Carson Beck is so hard not to love,” McElroy started, via Get Up. “I mean, the guy is just outrageously accurate. Totally understandable why you would look at him and say, ‘This guy is the most gifted thrower in college football at the moment.’ The thing is — recency bias now, maybe the worst game of his career, as far as seeing the field, came just a couple of weeks ago against Kentucky. Kentucky was able to confuse him, he left a lot of big plays on the field as a result, so I’m kind of looking for a bounce-back performance from him.
“I think they’re kind of right with Jalen Milroe. There’s something about his athleticism that makes him impossible to defend, and he’s a lot like Lamar Jackson was in college football. I mean, very, very similar. Extremely underrated as a passer, especially on the down-field throws. You just can’t tackle the guy. So, while it was maybe taboo awhile back to think, ‘Oh, Lamar is just going to go into the NFL and run like crazy against these NFL defenses,’ well, guess what? We’ve seen that happen now with Lamar, so it’s not surprising for me to see draft analysts start to come around on Jalen Milroe, because the question is, can you get him to the ground? The answer, for many, is no.”
Both Georgia and Alabama will be pining for what could be the biggest win of the college football season on Saturday. Greg McElroy recognizes whichever quarterback plays better could make the difference, but he’s not ready to make the call, as both Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe have been incredibly impressive.