2024 CFB Season: Milroe's Mountain
As we inch closer to the 2024 college football season, storylines are beginning to materialize. Final rosters are more or less set, the spring portal window is now closed, and the majority of freshman are on campus for summer conditioning now. While partially due to sheer size of competing teams, college football arguably has more storylines and narratives set than any sport on the planet. It’s times like these in the middle of the summer where those discussions take centerstage.
One of those discussions is the players with the most to prove. In my opinion, this discussion is greatly nuanced. There’s different levels when it comes to having something to confirm beyond the shadow of a doubt. Some guys are vying for top tier NFL draft stock, some are simply trying to become full-time starters, & there’s others that are trying to live up to their former five star billing. Whatever the case may be, we are always talking about all of them and looking for answers to the questions that we have.
This season, I believe we have more interesting cases than I can ever remember. As mentioned before, there’s different levels when it comes to showing and proving as an individual. Team success factors in that formula as well. It was business as usual in terms of teams at the top of the sport, but that’s mostly always the case. Sure, you may get a team or two that has hope towards the end of the season like TCU in 2022, but we saw how that ended when they played Georgia in the national championship game. At the end of the day, there’s always the cream of the crop and everyone else fighting to uproot those teams and to be honest, that’s why we love the sport of college football. Hope.
The legendary Appalachian State versus Michigan game would not be the same if they happened more often. If we’re lucky, we’ll get one or two contests a year that even come close to something like that, but that’s what makes them so special. The same can be said for individual players. Every once in a while, we get a singular player that becomes such a polarizing figure that the entire country becomes captivated. You’ll have infamous players like Johnny Manziel, Lamar Jackson, & even Jayden Daniels.
These guys were no doubt tremendous college football players, but also faced a certain level of scrutiny for their style of play, and there was serious questions of whether or not that they would be taken seriously as NFL prospects. They all had to show improvement to the highest level every time they stepped on the football field. This year, I believe we have a similar case. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is next up in the line of dual threat quarterbacks that have become one of the nation’s more polarizing players.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (#4) - Alabama Athletics
Milroe’s story is not one of an underdog. He was a four star recruit that played for a very good Texas high school team. He was a composite top 85 player in the country. Once committed to Texas, he then silent committed to Nick Saban and the University Of Alabama. After sitting behind Heisman winner and number one overall pick Bryce Young for a year and a half, Milroe had to step into action on the road against Arkansas after Bryce Young got injured.
After a comfortable lead evaporated, Milroe was thrusted into action and forced to deliver big time. Momentum shifted, Arkansas cut the game down to a five point deficit and then Milroe ripped off one of his career signature plays with a 77 yard run to get deep into Arkansas territory. After that play Alabama went on to defeat Arkansas 49 to 26 and comfortably head back to Tuscaloosa with the victory. Milroe went 4 for 9 with 65 passing yards and a touchdown. He also added six carries for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Milroe then got his first at home against Texas A&M when Young had to miss the contest with injury. In his first start at the University Of Alabama, Milroe went 11 for 19 for 119 yards passing, three touchdowns, one interception, and 17 rushes for 81 yards. While not the most impressive day through the air, the natural talent and ability shown through. Alabama did just enough to get the victory in a 24 to 21 contest to maintain their undefeated record at the time. Bryce Young returned to action the following week at Tennessee and we didn’t see Milroe return to starting action until the start of the 2023 season.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (#4) - Alabama Athletics
By then, Bryce Young had gone on to be the number one overall draft pick. Alabama also changed offensive coordinators. Former Notre Dame QB and OC Tommy Rees had then taken over for the polarizing Bill O’Brien. Couple that with questions surrounding the offensive supporting cast, there was uncertainty amidst the Alabama QB room for the first time in a decade. Who did that pressure fall on? Jalen Milroe. While most assumed Milroe would be the logical pick to take over the role, there was a large faction of fans clamoring for Ty Simpson to be the starter.
After a long battle of off-season work and media frenzy, Milroe beat out Simpson for the job. After a 56-7 season opening win over MTSU in which Milroe put up over 200 total yards and 5 total TD’s in a little less than theee quarters of action, a massive test arrived to Tuscaloosa the following week. The then 11th ranked Texas Longhorns showed up to Tuscaloosa. This is where the Milroe’s story truly takes off, in my opinion. After an up and down first half, Alabama trailed 13-6 going into halftime.
Questions about Milroe’s ability to process defenses and throw with timing and accuracy were amplified during the second half. While always vaunted for their ability to run the ball, Alabama had very little success that evening totaling only 3.1 yards per rush on 35 attempts. Milroe’s natural ability shined in spurts, including a tremendous 49 yard touchdown throw to Jermaine Burton to take a 16-13 lead into the 4th quarter and a 39 yard touchdown pass to Amari Niblack to cut the lead to 3 points with 11 minutes remaining.
However, it was a critical interception to start the 4th quarter that provided Texas with a goal line possession to take a 27-16 lead that proved to be insurmountable. Alabama went on to suffer their first home defeat since the 2019 LSU game by the score of 34-24. As expected, questions about whether Milroe was the guy to be the starter arose once again. These questions were answered when Nick Saban decided to name Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner the starter for the USF game.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (#4) - Alabama Athletics
In what turned out the be one of the more embarrassing performances of the Saban era, Alabama squeaked out a 17-3 win in which they scored a touchdown with 33 seconds remaining to pull away. Milroe never saw the field despite the noticeable struggles. While the defense bowed their necks and held firm, the offense left with even more questions surrounding the future than they entered with. It was after a players only meeting that Milroe’s legend begin to grow. What was said in the meeting wasn’t fully disclosed, but Milroe’s support of his teammates even through the benching and the demand for greatness even when he wasn’t on the field won over the team.
With 15th ranked Ole Miss coming into Tuscaloosa, the vultures were swarming wanting to know who the starter at quarterback would be. Saban put those concerns to bed by naming Milroe the starter going forward and explicitly stating he’d “earned” the right to have that opportunity. Milroe took full advantage and went 17/21 for 225 yards and a confidence boosting 33 yard touchdown pass late in the 3rd quarter to Jalen Hale where he took a massive shot while delivering the ball. The Tide went on to win the ranked contest 24-10.
Following a 40-17 win at Mississippi State, it was a 26-20 road win at Texas A&M that truly shifted Milroe’s national perception. While always considered an elite athlete, there was always questions about if he could beat you with his arm and mind. He put all doubters to be that evening in College Station delivering big throw after big throw. He finished the day 21/33 for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns. After answering the question about if he could beat you with his arm, the question then was if Milroe could lead a comeback of double digits.
That question was answered in the 34-20 Tennessee in which the Tide came back from 13 points down in the first half to beat the Vols. Did Milroe finally earn the benefit of the doubt then? No. The new question was could he match the scoring pace of the number one offense in the country and the eventual Heisman winner LSU and Jayden Daniels. He answered that question with flying colors leading Alabama to a 42-28 home victory where he accounted for almost 400 yards and four touchdowns.
After a six touchdown performance over Kentucky, Milroe had finally played his way into prominence. The hard way - earned week by week, performance by performance. Not only was he finally getting some respect, but getting it at the highest levels. From benched against USF to a 9-1 record and Heisman chatter. It was after this that Milroe arguably put up his most memorable performance in the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
After a back and forth contest for four quarters, it came down to the now infamous 4th and 31 play which Milroe completed an otherworldly touchdown to Isaiah Bond to give Alabama a 27-24 victory over their arch rivals and to set up a defacto playoff game against the number one ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game. Milroe finished the Iron Bowl 16-24 for 259 yards and two passing touchdowns and also added 107 yards on the ground. Coupe that with the clutch plays to bring it home, the Heisman hype was building.
Now, although he had earned respect from the country, there was still a huge level of doubt going into the Georgia game, and rightfully so. The Bulldogs were the two-time defending national champions and the number one team in the country. They’d posted one of the top five defenses in the country. Milroe had come such a long way from the USF game, he answered every question up until this point, and was arguably playing at the peak of his powers, but Georgia is a different beast altogether. Not many believed Alabama could actually beat the Georgia Bulldogs on a neutral field.
Not only did Milroe prove that he belonged on that stage, he led Alabama to a 27-24 victory over the Bulldogs, ended their winning streak, and quest for three national titles in a row. Milroe was also named SEC Championship Game MVP & catapulted Alabama into the College Football Playoff. Although Milroe didn’t get the invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, he finished 6th overall in voting - a seismic leap from being benched against USF.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe (#4) - Alabama Athletics
While the season ultimately ended in 27-20 overtime defeat to the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines in an epic Rose Bowl contest, Milroe announced his presence to the country in a major way. A lot of people consider the 2023 season Nick Saban’s coaching magnum opus. I’m definitely among that faction.
To be honest though, it’s more reflective of the type of men he recruited. Of course they’re superb athletes and smart individuals, but the heart and determination on display weekly along with the overall development was the great part of the season. No player exemplifies that more than Jalen Milroe. While there’s certainly things in his game to improve on, which I’ll go further into via a scouting report later this summer, that’s not really the story here.
The story is truly one of perseverance and natural ability. Leadership to will a team to a 12-2 record and SEC Championship against a top five strength of schedule in the first year as a starter. Being a great teammate first and foremost. The “LANK” mantra that took the nation by storm (Let All Naysayers Know) was in part coined by Milroe. It’s no longer about proving the naysayers wrong, it’s about proving himself right.
With new Head Coach Kalen DeBoer who has developed quarterbacks like Michael Penix Jr and Jake Haener, the progression he’s expected to make in 2024 is sizable. If Milroe continues his ascension, we’re not talking about being a good player — we’re talking about potentially being the best player. Maybe even a first round NFL talent. Everything he dreamt of is right in front of Milroe — and proving it to himself is all that matters.