While Nick Saban tried to obscure the results of the Alabama quarterback competition, Jalen Milroe's performance against Middle Tennessee in Week 1 put the question to bed. He's the starting quarterback in Tuscaloosa until further notice.
Milroe has a difficult task filling the shoes of Bryce Young, but he brings a dangerous rushing ability that could actually help him do it.
Pat McAfee sees the immense potential at Milroe's disposal, even comparing him to Ravens star Lamar Jackson.
Pat McAfee sees a bit of Lamar Jackson in Jalen Milroe
“That Milroe guy, and the flashes we’ve seen from him in the past … it’s hard to compare anybody to Lamar Jackson, and I guess it’s going to happen all the time. Any time a quarterback can run and can make people miss, they’re going to say, ‘Oh, it’s Lamar Jackson,’ just like people did with back in the day, just like it probably happened with Steve Young back in the day," McAfee said, H/T On3. "But there are shades of Lamar Jackson in this Milroe. When you have him on a college football field, he looks like an adult outrunning everybody else."
McAfee made those comments on ESPN's Get Up. Later on during his own show, the host dropped the Jackson comparison while asking Saban a question about his dual-threat quarterback.
"I think more people are now getting back to running the football and that's what we wanna do..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 8, 2023
Jalen Milroe has made a lot of progress as a player and he's one of the fastest guys on the team" ~ Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iESI0maYgA
Milroe rushed for 48 yards and two touchdowns against the Blue Raiders. That included an electric 21-yard scramble after a botched snap to open the scoring in Week 1. He added another rushing score in the second quarter from 13 yards out.
His passing wasn't too shabby either. Milroe completed 72 percent of his passes while tossing three touchdowns.
Obviously, the Week 1 opposition wasn't the greatest but the quarterback set the tone and made it clear he's the guy.
Week 2 will bring his first big challenge with Texas coming to town. Last year, the Longhorns limited Young and the Alabama offense to just 20 points. While the Crimson Tide squeaked by with a win, it was a wake-up call that Texas will be looking to finish off this time. Milroe can't give them that chance if he wants the Jackson comparisons to keep coming.