Swapping Saban for DeBoer should help Milroe
Jalen Milroe’s coach, his offensive coordinator and his top wide receivers departed Alabama’s program one by one, just a few months ago.
And yet when I covered Alabama’s spring game in April, Milroe seemed like the most upbeat guy inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. That’s saying something, because thousands of Tide fans were excited to welcome Kalen DeBoer.
Milroe has as much cause as anyone to be fired up for the DeBoer era.
Not only is Alabama’s new coach “offensive-minded,” as Milroe put it, he’s a contrast from predecessor Nick Saban.
“You want to play for a coach like this, how personable he is with us,” Milroe said of DeBoer after that spring game. “He has positive reinforcement behind the criticism.”
I didn’t interpret that as a direct shot at Saban, whose authoritarian way of doing business obviously worked. But I couldn’t help but notice after A-Day that multiple Alabama players described DeBoer as players’ coach who breathes positivity into them.
“Each and every day when I speak to (this coaching staff), they speak light into me. That’s big,” Milroe said.
It’s a great time to be Alabama’s starting quarterback. Why? Because it remains a great time to be DeBoer’s starting quarterback.
In the final season of Saban’s legendary career, he needed Milroe more than Milroe needed Saban.
I expect this coaching transition to elevate Milroe’s game and his NFL Draft stock. Milroe is positioned to become the next in a run of quarterbacks to flourish under DeBoer.
Also working in Milroe’s favor: The 2025 NFL Draft class projects as having a much weaker crop of quarterbacks. Milroe joins Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders atop the quarterbacks likely to declare for the draft after this season.
Six of the first 12 players drafted last week were quarterbacks. That included Michael Penix Jr. going No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons.
Penix wasn’t a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school. Alabama didn’t offer him. Neither did most SEC teams. Jeremy Pruitt rescinded Tennessee’s scholarship offer for Penix after Pruitt became the Vols’ coach. This marked the first of Pruitt’s approximately 1,374 missteps at Tennessee.
For Penix, Tennessee’s snub became a gift, because he wound up playing for DeBoer.
Pruitt proved inept at developing quarterbacks. DeBoer helped elevate Penix from three-star recruit to Heisman Trophy runner-up to the NFL.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for him and love for him for the rest of my life,” Penix said of DeBoer in an interview with Yahoo Sports before the NFL scouting combine.
As Fresno State’s coach, DeBoer helped Jake Haener become a
fourth-round NFL Draft pick.
Consider, Alabama went three decades without having a quarterback drafted within the first four rounds, between Richard Todd (first round, 1976) and Brodie Croyle (third round, 2006).
Saban didn’t have a rich history of producing frontline NFL quarterbacks until the latter years of his career. Tua Tagavoila, Mac Jones and Bryce Young became first-round draft picks after Saban made a series of good offensive coordinator hires and allowed them to modernize Alabama’s offense.
Tommy Rees, Saban’s final offensive coordinator, didn’t propel Alabama’s offense like Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin and others before him. Rees required far too long to determine how to optimize Milroe’s strengths.
That shouldn’t be an issue for DeBoer.
In Washington’s offense, Penix routinely challenged defenses with downfield passes. Milroe, too, is a deep-ball artist. He completed 52.2% of his pass attempts last season that traveled at least 20 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Even Penix didn’t match that rate. Plus, Milroe offers superior running ability to Penix.
Milroe trails Penix’s ability to read coverages and advance through progressions.
DeBoer can help with that, while positioning Milroe for success.
“The coaching staff is really confident in me,” Milroe said after his successful spring game.
That confidence is warranted. Milroe embodies NFL talent. Alabama’s coach knows what to do with that.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s SEC Columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.