Jalen Milroe’s head coach, his offensive coordinator and his top wide receivers left the Alabama program one by one just a few months ago.
And when I covered Alabama spring game in April, Milroe looked like the liveliest guy at Bryant-Denny Stadium. That’s saying something, because thousands of Tide fans were excited to welcome Kalen DeBoer.
Milroe has as much reason as anyone to be excited about the DeBoer era.
Alabama’s new coach is not only “offensive-minded,” as Milroe said, but also contrasts with predecessor Nick Saban.
“You want to play for a coach like this, how kind he is to us,” Milroe said of DeBoer after the spring game.
I didn’t interpret this as a direct attack on Saban, whose authoritarian approach obviously worked. But I couldn’t help but notice after A-Day that several Alabama players described DeBoer as a players’ coach who inspires positivity in them.
“Every day when I talk to (this coaching staff), they say something light to 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 hope this coaching transition elevates Milroe’s game and his NFL Draft stock. Milroe is positioned to become the next in a series of quarterbacks to blossom under DeBoer.
Also working in Milroe’s favor: The 2025 NFL Draft class projects to have a weaker crop of quarterbacks. Milroe joins Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at the top of the quarterbacks likely to declare for the draft after this season.
Six of the first 12 players drafted last week were defenders. This included Michael Penix Jr. going No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons.
Penix wasn’t a top-tier prospect coming out of high school. Alabama did not offer him. Neither do most SEC teams. Jeremy Pruitt rescinded Tennessee’s scholarship offer to Penix after Pruitt became the Vols’ coach. This marked the first of Pruitt’s approximately 1,374 errors at Tennessee.
For Penix, Tennessee’s snub became a gift as he ended up playing for DeBoer.
Pruitt has proven inept at developing quarterbacks. DeBoer helped elevate Penix from three-star recruit to Heisman Trophy runner-up in the NFL.
“I have 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 ahead of the NFL scouting combine.
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As coach at Fresno State, DeBoer helped Jake Haener become a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Consider that Alabama went three decades without having a quarterback drafted in the first four rounds between Richard Todd (first round, 1976) and Brodie Croyle (third round, 2006).
Saban didn’t build a rich history of producing NFL frontcourt quarterbacks until the later 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 power Alabama’s offense like Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin and others before him. It took Rees a long time to determine how to optimize Milroe’s strengths.
TOPPMEYER: Nick Saban excites the crowd, while Jalen Milroe hinders Kalen DeBoer
GOOD BREAD: It’s clear that Alabama produced a good NFL Draft class after Nick Saban’s final season
This shouldn’t be a problem for DeBoer.
In Washington’s offense, Penix routinely challenged defenses with downfield passes. Milroe is also a profound artist. He completed 52.2 percent of his pass attempts last season that went at least 20 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Even Penix didn’t match that rate. Additionally, Milroe offers superior running ability than Penix.
Milroe tracks Penix’s ability to read coverages and move through progressions.
DeBoer can help with that, while also positioning Milroe for success.
“The coaching staff is really confident in me,” Milroe said after his successful spring game.
This trust is guaranteed. Milroe embodies NFL talent. The Alabama coach knows what to do with this.
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama: Trading Nick Saban for Kalen DeBoer should lift Jalen Milroe
