Alabama QB Jalen Milroe on Nick Saban’s Retirement & His Goal for 2024

Getty Alabama Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe reveals surprise over Nick Saban's retirement.

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe has a lot of confidence as he enters his junior season.

The 21-year-old is coming off of a breakthrough 2023 campaign which saw him lead the Crimson Tide to within a score of the national championship game. The Crimson Tide ended their season on a surprising hot streak after an early-season loss to the Texas Longhorns, running off 11 straight wins, including a major upset win over the back-to-back national champs, the Georgia Bulldogs, in the SEC Championship Game.

The Crimson Tide’s surprising run to the College Football Playoff was even more impressive considering Milroe – who emerged as one of the nation’s best quarterbacks after spending his first two seasons as a backup – was benched just two weeks into the season for Tyler Buchner following the team’s loss to the Longhorns in the second game of the year. However, that demotion didn’t last long as Milroe was re-inserted back into the starting lineup for good after spending just one game as the backup.

Milroe went on to finish the season with 35 total touchdowns and just six interceptions while solidifying his hold on the starting quarterback job.

Jalen Milroe Says Longhorns Loss Was a ‘Learning Moment’

Milroe – who is entering the season as the unquestioned starter for the first time in his career – explained how the ups-and-downs of last season made him not only mentally tougher, but a better quarterback overall. He acknowledges that the loss to the Longhorns was a “learning moment.”

“It was definitely a learning moment, a great opportunity to grow as a player,” said Milroe in a one-on-one interview. “I looked internally about how I can improve. I think the biggest thing is to have mental toughness in the adversity aspects of your life. You also have to have the right people around you to uplift you. I had a really good team around me that was truly uplifting. My parents are the best things for me. Because no matter at my worst or best, they’re the same people that came to my games when I wasn’t a starter (against USF). You have challenges — it’s all about how you respond. Your response is greater than any adversity that you go through in life.”

Jalen Milroe Says He Was Surprised Over Nick Saban’s Retirement

The 2024 season will be a noteworthy one for the 6-foot-2 quarterback considering he will be one of the top quarterback prospects in next year’s NFL draft if he decides to declare. Milroe is considered a Heisman Trophy favorite after a prolific season. Furthermore, he’ll be entering his first season without arguably the greatest coach in college football history, Nick Saban.

The 72-year-old finally called it a career following the conclusion of the 2023 season and the Crimson Tide will enter a new era after winning six national championships following Saban’s first year on campus in 2007.

Milroe called Saban’s decision to retire a “surprise,” but he outlined the biggest thing he learned from his former coach.

“It caught the whole country by surprise,” says Milroe. “I learned a lot of great things from Coach Saban. If I had to narrow one thing down, it’s about trusting in the process. Whenever your time may come, trust in the process of being great. Everybody’s journey is different. There’s guys that play early, play later. I narrowed it down, just trusting the process. Being the best you can be and want to be.”

Taking Saban’s place is former Washington Huskies head coach, Kaleb DeBoer, who is coming off of an appearance in the College Football National Championship and was named the AP Coach of the Year. Although Deboer was hired in January, he has already made a strong impression and connection with Milroe. Milroe singles out DeBoer’s ability to connect with his players as a big personality trait of the 49-year-old.

“Offensive-minded coach, great to be around,” says Milroe. “Very personable. You’re in a long hallway and it’s you and another person. The person you want to see is Coach DeBoer. Because he’s going to sit there and talk to you. He’s not just going to say, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ We’ll have a whole 10 minute conversation. He just truly cares about the players and he’s awesome to be around. I’m super excited to learn under him and keep it going.”

While Milroe’s objective will obviously be to lead the Crimson Tide to their first national championship win since the 2020 season, he stresses continued improvement as another key goal for the 2024 season.

“First thing to acknowledge is that before you can improve, you have to get knowledge,” says Milroe. “You have to improve and basically challenge yourself to have relentless pursuits of continuous improvement and trying to be the best player you can be — the best individual I can be. There’s definitely room to grow. Definitely areas of improvement from last year to this year where I can steadily get better, just with the mindset of continued improvement.”

Milroe – who was speaking on behalf of his partnership with Six Star Pro Nutrition and its new Kellogg’s Froot Loops-flavored protein shake – explains why he partnered with the protein brand and how it helps boost his performance on the field. The partnership will feature Milroe in advertisements for print, digital and mobile.

“Definitely appreciative of the partnership,” says Milroe. “But now it’s all about maximizing it. If you want an early meal in your day — or you’re busy — you’re running late in the morning and before a workout. This is the brand where they already have a package deal where you can just grab it from the refrigerator and take off in your day. As far as taste wise, it tastes just like Froot Loops. It was a great opportunity to work with the brand.”