Greg McElroy explains how Kalen DeBoer can 'empower' Jalen Milroe

As Kalen DeBoer gets ready for his first season at Alabama, all eyes are on Jalen Milroe. The senior quarterback took a huge leap last year under Nick Saban as he shook off a slow start, but he’ll now be the focal point of a new, high-powered DeBoer offense in 2024.

There could be an adjustment process as Milroe moves in to the new scheme. But former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy argued DeBoer’s presence will help him take another leap forward this year.

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Over the last four years at Fresno State and Washington, DeBoer built a track record of success at the quarterback spot. Jake Haener and Michael Penix Jr. both headed to the NFL after reaching the 4,000-yard mark under his watch, and Penix played in the national championship last year. But McElroy said it goes beyond the stats with DeBoer since his approach is so different.

“Playing quarterback is so mental. … I look at it and I look at just how Kalen DeBoer has approached every guy he’s ever been around, and he builds them up with so much confidence,” McElroy said on SportsCenter Thursday evening. “He tells them they can walk on water to the point which they ultimately, down the road, maybe they start to believe that they can and they start to believe, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can pull that off.’ And if you make a mistake, it’s no problem, man. It’s all good. Smile through it. It’s all good. As opposed to other coaches, and we’ve heard from other quarterbacks recently – maybe former ‘Bama quarterbacks – that were afraid of their experience in the NFL, if you’re being told you can’t do something, you’re gonna naturally kind of think about making a mistake or I want to avoid making a mistake.

“Kalen DeBoer’s all about empowering the player, and as a result, Jalen Milroe – a guy last year that did not have confidence through the first three games of the season and it grew as the season went along – now, he’s going into the season with the highest levels of confidence he’s probably ever had and I think he’s had a great camp as a result.”

Milroe had a rough start to his time as Alabama’s starting quarterback after Bryce Young’s departure. He struggled in a Week 2 loss to Texas and found himself on the bench against USF the next week. But after Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson struggled, Milroe returned to the starting role and never looked back.

All told, during his junior season, Milroe threw for 2,834 yards, ran for 531 yards and totaled 35 touchdowns – 23 in the air and 12 on the ground. He’ll now learn a new playbook with DeBoer as head coach and Nick Sheridan as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.