Alabama's Jalen Milroe talks new coaching staff, Bryce Young mentorship, and more

The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is in the midst of a transitional period with longtime head coach Nick Saban officially stepping aside in the offseason. One individual they're counting on to provide stability moving forward is quarterback Jalen Milroe.

Milroe is returning to Tuscaloosa for his second season as a starter, and he and the Crimson Tide are hoping to build upon a 2023 season that saw the team win the SEC Championship Game. A National Championship is their obvious next goal.

Milroe recently joined FanSided's Justin Fried to discuss his first impressions of Alabama's new coaching staff, his relationship with Bryce Young, his various off-field ventures, and more in this exclusive interview made possible by his partnership with Six Star Pro Nutrition.

Milroe's partnership with Six Star underscores his commitment to peak performance and aligns with Six Star Pro Nutrition’s ethos of excellence and hard work.

Below is a partial transcription of our interview. To watch the interview in its entirety, you can click this link or click on the video seen below.

Jalen Milroe on his partnership with Six Star Pro Nutrition

Justin Fried: "So before we get into anything football-related, tell me a little bit about your partnership with Six Star Pro Nutrition."

Jalen Milroe: "Six Star does a really good job [with athletes]. They help maximize the performance aspect by having the proper nutrients so that you can be the best you. It's awesome to have this brand and this opportunity. I've got my [Six Star] shirt on today. I got my protein in, so I'm feeling good. It tastes good and it's something I think you should try one day."

Jalen Milroe on Alabama's new coaching staff

JF: "It's a very interesting time for Alabama football. Nick Saban has retired. Tommy Rees has gone to the NFL. Now, you have Coach Kalen DeBoer and Nick Sheridan coming over from Washington. It's still early, but what have been your first impressions of your new coaching staff?"

JM: "It's been a great process. The biggest thing, as always, is you just have to get acclimated. The spring was a great opportunity to get reps in our system. But let's speak about the people. We have great people here on our staff. When you have people who are personable and care about us as players, that speaks further than just the coaching aspect of it. Coach DeBoer has done a really good job getting to know us as players. He's offensive-minded, and as a quarterback I'm biased, but what a great opportunity to have a coach who is offensive-minded. I love my offensive coordinator. He's been awesome for me. We have one coach who's coming back, [running backs coach Robert Gillespie], so we understand what the 'Bama standard' is. The new pieces around have been an adjustment, but it's been a great process. I use the analogy that we're going through a tunnel. When you first go through a tunnel, it's dark. You're in the dark and crawling through that tunnel, but at the end of that tunnel, at some point, the light is going to come out. We're not at that point yet. We're still trying to get better as a football team. We're not satisfied."

Jalen Milroe on possibly transferring away from Alabama

JF: "Was there ever any consideration of transferring from Alabama after Coach Saban retired?"

JM: "No, I was always going to stick with Alabama. No matter if I was the third-string, fourth-string, or the starter, my ultimate goal was to get my degree from Alabama. I told my parents that before I got here. Once I was able to achieve my bachelor's degree, I told them I was going to get my master's Degree at Alabama. I just had goals set for myself that I wanted to accomplish. I still have many goals that I want to accomplish here at Alabama. I had unfinished business. I didn't truly complete the mission I wanted to here. It's a great place to be. I'm surrounded by a lot of resources that put me in a position to be successful. I can just go on and on about how great this program is. I'm just super excited about what the future holds."

Jalen Milroe on his relationship with Bryce Young

JF: "One guy who you got to know very well over your first couple years at Alabama is current Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Talk to me about some of the things you learned from Bryce during your time together and how he’s helped you become the leader you are today."

JM: "I love my relationship with Bryce. What a great quarterback. His attention to detail, his film preparation, his leadership, being the same guy every day, and his anticipation on the football field — a lot of great strengths that Bryce Young has that has been awesome to watch firsthand. As a player, you initially come into college with a lot of expectations, but it was a great thing for me to not play and see football through a different lens by learning from him. He's a great guy. He was a great leader for the team. It was a great opportunity to be in the same room as him. I'm definitely excited for his future."

*This is only a partial transcription of the interview. The full video can be seen in its entirety on the Stacking The Box YouTube channel or by clicking this link.