Nick Saban, Jalen Milroe address Alabama issues with snaps

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The sigh Nick Saban gave when he was asked the question said it all.

Through the first five games of the season, Alabama has had consistent issues with snaps from veteran center Seth McLaughlin. Whether it was the 1st and Goal at the 1 against Ole Miss or a snap that bounced off Jalen Milroe before he was ready versus Mississippi State, the problems on the center-quarterback exchange have been recurring for the Crimson Tide.

On Monday, to kick off Texas A&M game week, Saban was asked how to clean those up.

“We’ve got to have just a little better focus, I think, on the importance of the snap because this has been a pretty consistent issue,” Saban said. “It makes it harder on the quarterback to be able to function when he doesn’t have a dependable snap to deal with, whether he’s faking, whether it’s a play-action pass, whether he’s trying to read a coverage because you’ve got to take your eyes off what you want to be looking at to be able to catch the ball.

“That’s something we’ve been working on and we certainly need to continue to work on it and improve, no question.”

McLaughlin is in his fourth year in the program and has made 16 starts at the center position in the last three seasons. Prior to the 2023 campaign, snaps were never an issue, at least not at this level, for Alabama like they were in the month of September, and McLaughlin has struggled to begin his senior year. According to Pro Football Focus, the Buford, Ga., native has an overall grade of 57.5, which includes 62.2 marks as a pass blocker and 45.7 on runs.

The latest noticeable mistake, that wasn’t just a snap at the ankles, occurred in the first quarter of last week’s game in Starkville Miss. Milroe was yelling something at his receivers when the ball hit him before he was ready. Alabama was able to recover the fumble, but the Tide was forced to punt. Rather than point to his center, Milroe shouldered the blame.

“I take full ownership of that,” Milroe said Monday. “I should be more vocal, louder to allow the snaps to be on-point. So I take full ownership of that. Going into Mississippi State is a loud environment, and it took me being more vocal at some points in the game.

“That’s definitely something me and Seth are going to get together about, and that’s not something to worry about. We’re going to build and grow from it and learn from it.”

If crowd noise is among the reasons for the bad snaps, Alabama will heavily emphasize that this week before its road trip to Texas A&M. Kyle Field, the Aggies’ home stadium in College Station, Texas, can hold over 100,000 fans and will be at its loudest pitch when the Crimson Tide’s offense has the football. Preparing for that is a priority for Alabama this week.

“It’s definitely going to be loud,” Milroe said. “It’s going to take preparation throughout the week for us, for sure. We’ll come ready. By Saturday, we’ll have a plan to attack that. It’s just going to be a challenge for us, for sure, just playing against a tough opponent, playing in a tough environment, one of the best in the country.

“We’re excited for the challenge, but the biggest thing we’ve got to do is prepare for that moment.”

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