3 transfer portal QBs Alabama needs to add with Jalen Milroe gone to NFL

Well, Alabama fans who suffered through the ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan have gotten their wish: Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe announced on Thursday that he won't return for another season as he prepares to enter the 2025 NFL Draft.

Milroe's physical gifts are well-documented at this point, as are his flaws; his ability to extend plays and turn nothing into something with his legs was rivaled only by his ability to make some of the most baffling decisions you've ever seen from a big-time quarterback. But for as exasperating as Milroe could be at times over his two years as the Tide's starter, his athleticism atoned for all sorts of sins — imagine this Alabama offensive line without it — and his experience in big games will be sorely missed.

All of which puts even more pressure on the shoulders of head coach Kalen DeBoer, as he attempts to improve upon a disappointing (by Bama standards, anyway) 9-3 season while finding a new starting quarterback. The cupboard is far from bare: Ty Simpson has spent several years waiting his turn in Tuscaloosa, Austin Mack came with DeBoer from Washington and five-star Keelon Russell was the gem of the Tide's 2025 recruiting class. But all of those options are completely unproven, which means DeBoer might decide to hedge his bets via the transfer portal. If he does, here are three names that could make sense.

3. Dequan Finn

Finn's stock is pretty low after he lost the starting job at Baylor to Sawyer Robertson, but it wasn't too long ago that the dual threat was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the portal after three largely brilliant years at Toledo. Finn is a QB in the Milroe mold, passing for over 2,000 yards and rushing for over 500 in each of his years as a starter for the Rockets, and he's a truly dynamic athlete in open space.

As a pocket passer, he leaves a bit to be desired — there's a reason Baylor's offense took off when Robertson replaced him under center — but DeBoer might trust he and his staff's ability to develop him in that area. And if they do, the ceiling here is tremendous. Of course, Alabama might not want to deal with the headache after riding the Milroe roller coaster this season.

2. Mark Gronowski

Gronowski just entered the portal earlier this week, after his bid for a threepeat at South Dakota State was spoiled in a classic FCS semifinal against North Dakota State. Despite that loss, though, Gronowski leaves the Jackrabbits as one of the most decorated players in FCS history, with over 10,000 passing yards and 1,700 rushing yards in his career. He won the Walter Payton Award (the FCS equivalent of the Heisman) last season, and at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, he's got the frame and the arm talent to start for a Power 4 program.

Will that program be Alabama? It remains to be seen, but you could understand why Gronowski might appeal to DeBoer: The coach is a South Dakota native who started his college coaching career at Sioux Falls, and a seasoned hand keeping the seat warm for Mack or Russell might be exactly what the Tide need in 2025.

1. Tyler Van Dyke

It seems like a million years ago that Van Dyke was being talked up as a potential future first-round pick. Injuries and poor coaching sabotaged things at Miami, and a torn ACL (suffered on the first drive against Alabama, no less) cut short his year at Wisconsin. But he's back in the transfer portal, looking for a place to rebuild his draft stock, and the size and arm talent that made him so enticing a couple of years ago are both still there.

If anyone could get Van Dyke's career back on track, it's DeBoer, who took a similarly injury-plagued pocket passer in Michael Penix all the way to the national title game at Washington. Van Dyke has been around the block, and he's got the tools to run DeBoer's offense. You could do a lot worse for a one-year starter.