There’s been plenty of optimism surrounding the growth of Alabama football backup quarterback Jalen Milroe in his second season.
The buzz gained steam when the former four-star prospect from Texas showed big-play, highlight-reel ability in the A-Day spring game in April. His finest moment was a 52-yard touchdown pass to Christian Leary. Milroe also displayed how he can be dangerous with his legs.
He’s received strong reviews from the Crimson Tide this preseason, too. Just ask the leader of the quarterback room, Bryce Young.
“To see him go from coming in as a young player last year and really just trying to learn the offense and try to understand the reads and try to piece things together just like I was my freshman year,” Young said. “Now, to taking this next leap, you can see him being more and more comfortable. You can see him make decisions in the pocket, you can see him make pre-snap reads, pre-snap adjustments, post-snap reads. You can tell he’s really starting to piece things together.”
Here are three things to know about Milroe.
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Limited freshman-year action
In 2021, Milroe only saw the field in cleanup duty when Alabama held colossal leads. Such is the nature of having the Heisman-Trophy winner as the starter.
But Paul Tyson was Young’s top backup, so Milroe usually had to wait until even later to see playing time. Milroe usually closed out blowout wins.
He saw time in four games in 2021, playing against Miami in the opener, Mercer, Southern Miss and New Mexico State. In those machups, Milroe only attempted seven passes. He went 3-for-7 for 41 yards and a touchdown. Milroe ran for 57 yards on 15 rushes.
Milroe grabbed hold of backup job in the offseason
After Tyson, the great-grandson of Paul “Bear” Bryant, transferred to Arizona State this offseason, it left an opening for the backup spot behind Young.
Ty Simpson, a five-star quarterback in the 2022 class, joined in the offseason. But Milroe prevented Simpson from taking the backup job. Milroe was listed second on the initial depth chart behind Young, while Simpson was third.
“Jalen Milroe has been here for a little over a year, and he’s really improved in the offense,” Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien said in the offseason. “He’s improved in his knowledge; it’s very important to him. He prepares behind the scenes.”
Milroe is jacked
Milroe is physically impressive. He’s listed at 6-2, 212 pounds and is probably one of the strongest quarterbacks you’ll find in college football.
Look no further than an offseason workout. Video surfaced of him in the weight room, and he power-cleaned an impressive amount of weight.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Jalen Milroe: 3 things to know about the Alabama football quarterback