This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Jalen Milroe knows the entire playbook, and he has a hunch about tendencies and audibles in certain situations. But he can hardly contain his excitement in anticipation of putting his offseason of work on display when No. 5 Alabama welcomes Western Kentucky to Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
“As a quarterback I want to see the field in the lens of the head coach,” Milroe said of entering his first game under Kalen DeBoer. “In all areas of the game. It’s been awesome to have that aspect from spring ball, to summer training, now fall camp and transition to the season. There’s been so much growth and so much improvement as a team just always being a sponge for information.
“It processes differently when you get on the field. At the end of the day, at the quarterback position, you simplify the game by being a point guard with the football.”
Milroe said his one-on-one work with DeBoer helped him realize he’s only scratching the surface of his potential. DeBoer is decidedly offensive-minded as compared to predecessor Nick Saban, the seven-time national championship winner who cut his teeth as an assistant to Bill Belichick in Cleveland.
DeBoer, the 2023 coach of the year at Washington, learned a lot about Milroe — as a quarterback, learner and leader — during player-run practices. Giving a semblance of autonomy to his quarterback helped DeBoer discern the value of their private meetings, work in the QB room and areas he could address better.
There is zero question about Milroe’s buy-in under the new coaching staff and DeBoer.
“He believes in me. He loves me. There’s nothing greater than that,” Milroe said. “Beyond the Xs and Os and going over the schemes, it’s the belief system a coach has in a player. You want to do your best each and every day because you have a coach that’s behind you and wants the best for you. It’s been fun. To be around him has been awesome.”
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan will call plays for Alabama and have Milroe’s ear in the newly adopted headset communication system. But Milroe has shown in the nearly nine months DeBoer has been on the job that he can do more than steer the offense.
“Now it’s really playing football, understanding situations, getting on the same page with both Nick Sheridan, the play caller, and myself and working through all of those things,” DeBoer said Wednesday. “And then there’s the leadership piece, too. You know, he does such a great job of that, both on and off the field. He holds himself to extremely high standard in all ways. And he leads through example, he leads just with his poise and body language and then his words as well.”
Milroe had 35 total touchdowns last season (12 rushing) and had one interception after the month of October in 2023. Western Kentucky was in the top 10 in the country in takeaways, but Milroe said his role isn’t to play perfect. It’s to execute DeBoer’s plan to perfection.
“Coach DeBoer always talks about relentless pursuit of the team’s improvement,” Milroe said.
Teammates are following the lead of Milroe, but that’s nothing new. Offensive lineman Tyler Booker said last month at SEC Media Days that opponents would be seeing Milroe on a “new level” in the DeBoer system.
“I feel like it will allow Jalen to be himself, especially the way I’ve seen coach DeBoer and Jalen interact,” Booker said. “He wants to do what Jalen can do well, build on that, and the other playmakers on offense as well. Letting Jalen play his game is the best thing that we can do.”
–Field Level Media
