Despite being benched for the Week 3 game in 2023 against South Florida, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe came back and proved to the nation that he was the right choice to be the Tide’s starter. Now, his name is in the Heisman Trophy conversation for 2024.
Though there was a three-man competition for the starting job heading into the season, the team rallied around Milroe and the offense matured with him behind center. The lone blemish on his 2023 season was the Week 2 loss against Texas.
As he prepares to take on Michigan in the Rose Bowl, serving as a College Football Playoff semifinal, Milroe sits at 2,718 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions with a completion percentage of 65.5%. To add to those impressive numbers, he’s rushed for 468 yards and 12 touchdowns.
After defeating Auburn on a miracle fourth-and-31 touchdown, Milroe was filmed screaming “Give me the Heisman!” with much excitement.
While he did not win the Heisman in 2023, he did finish sixth in the final vote for the prestigious award. It was LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels who was this year’s recipient.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach named 15 players who should be viewed as way-too-early candidates for the 2024 Heisman race. On Milroe, he wrote:
“Benched after a home loss to Texas in Week 2, Milroe regained the starting job and led the Crimson Tide to another SEC championship and CFP appearance. He has a rare combination of size (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), speed and arm strength, and he became a more effective pocket passer throughout the 2024 season. Milroe should flourish even more in offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ offense in Year 2.”
Schlabach makes a great point in stating that it will be Milroe’s second season with the offense as the starting quarterback and that offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will have an entire offseason to create and prepare a playbook tailored specifically to Milroe’s style of play. Heading into the 2023 season, Rees was stopped from doing so because there was severe uncertainty as to who the starter would be.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Jalen Milroe and Alabama football as the team prepares for the College Football Playoffs.
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