Bryce Young is Alabama’s starting quarterback, college football’s reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and he is pursuing a College Football Playoff National Championship as a starting signal-caller.
He projects as the No. 1 quarterback and possibly the No. 1 overall prospect for next year’s NFL Draft. Crimson Tide fans remember the past, focus on the present, and think about the future. Who will take the baton from Young after this season?
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Alabama has two talented quarterbacks in the room, including one who is an incredible athlete.
Jalen Milroe, a sophomore, is an impressive physical specimen. The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder can bench press, squat, and power-clean an entire weight room. It is dangerous for defensive players to see him running at full speed. He looks like a linebacker, carries the speed of a running back, but also possesses an arm to make big-time passes. Milroe was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks from Texas in the 2021 class as a four-star. During his final two seasons at Tompkins High School, he accounted for 3,825 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. He tossed a touchdown pass to receiver Javon Baker (now at UCF) last year against Southern Mississippi and improved his passing mechanics in the spring. Milroe has a touchdown pass this season on a screen to running back Jase McClellan; however, Nick Saban has to find ways to get Milroe more effective in-game reps as a passer.
Alabama likes to hand the ball to its running backs when Milroe is on, or it uses his athleticism for quarterback runs.
Saban and Bill O’Brien have to trust Milroe’s arm more. He needs to have plays where he’s dissecting the defense, targeting receivers quickly, and taking shots in the vertical passing game. Ty Simpson is growing in the playbook and has an elite arm, but fans have been waiting to see the boom from Milroe. The Tide has to understand what its future is at quarterback after Young.
Milroe has been electric in some stretches, but the coaching staff needs to get him more in-game reps.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
