The University of Alabama football program is preparing for the ReliaQuest Bowl to face Michigan on New Year’s Eve.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer told the media during his presser on Sunday that all players he’s spoken with are ‘planning to play’ in the bowl game.
He sees no one opting out for NFL Draft reasons, regardless of the Crimson Tide having several players with good draft grades. Jalen Milroe, a redshirt junior quarterback, is one of those players.
Most NFL Draft pundits have him as a first-round value and either the second or third best quarterback on their boards. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder has had a good and bad moments this season, but he does have some marquee traits to be a signal-caller in the pros. He has 35 total touchdowns to 10 interceptions this season.
Former Alabama wide receiver thanks Tide while declaring for NFL Draft
The NFL may be intrigued by him, but a former Alabama player feels the native Texan should hit the NCAA transfer portal instead.
”I don’t think you should go to the NFL Draft because I don’t think he’s ready,” said former Alabama running back Damien Harris about Milroe on the Until Saturday podcast via CBS Sports.
“I think he should hit the transfer portal, go somewhere, get a fresh start. Because I don’t think this marriage between him and Kalen DeBoer, it doesn’t look like it’s working. Not for either person, not saying it’s either party’s fault, just sometimes relationships just don’t work.”
The decision to hit the transfer portal worked for former Tide quarterbacks such as Jalen Hurts, Taulia Tagovailoa, and Eli Holstein. Hurts left in the 2019 for Oklahoma and blew up as a passer.
Tagovailoa joined Mike Locksley at Maryland and had a good career. Holstein left the Tide for Pittsburgh and became the starting quarterback.
Milroe could use more reps in college to become the passer he needs to be for NFL teams. It would not be a bad move for him to pursue the NCAA transfer portal, but we will see what happens.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
