A little over a year ago, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was benched by head coach Nick Saban after a disastrous home loss to the Texas Longhorns in Week 2. It took an ugly win against the G5 USF Bulls in his absence the following week for the team to rally around Milroe.
Here we are a year later, and Milroe is the leading contender in the race for the Heisman Trophy and the head of one of the most prolific offenses in the country. Good things tend to happen for Alabama quarterbacks when they are resilient, especially if your name is Jalen. It’s a good reminder to all of us that if you really want something in life, your only option is to put your head down and go to work.
Milroe’s speed and athleticism have always been well-documented, but it’s his growth as a passer that has made him a viable top-ten pick option. He is coming off his best collegiate game where he completed 81.2% of his passes, totaled 491 yards of offense by himself and added four touchdowns. The last QB to give a Kirby Smart-led defense these kinds of problems was Bryce Young.
As a result of the Tide’s impressive win, many NFL draft experts think that Milroe has a chance to be the top QB taken next Spring. ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks that Milroe is vying for QB1 against guys like Carson Beck, Cam Ward, Shedur Sanders and Quinn Ewers.
.@MelKiperESPN says Alabama's Jalen Milroe is "vying for QB 1" in the 2025 NFL draft 🍿 pic.twitter.com/I0pgIGZn4A
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 1, 2024
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