Though Jalen Milroe went a little off the road in mid-season, after beating LSU, Milroe and Bama got their grip back. Milroe is one of those QBs who got a chance to learn from the OG coach, Nick Saban, and the new Tide coach, Kalen DeBoer, as well. “I was able to have a chance to be coached by the greatest coach of all time,” Milroe said about the GOAT. About DeBoer, you may ask? Well, the Bama captain has all the nice words, saying, “It’s something special to be the first team under him and have the opportunity to grow and lead under him.” Not a lot of players have these two great coaches on their resume. Saban, known for giving stern treatment to his players, was rather soft with Milroe, or was he not? Let’s hear from the player himself.

Before their important Week 12 game against the Mercer Bears, Jalen Milroe appeared on the November 14th episode of the Rich Eisen Show. And to no one’s surprise, the two started discussing Nick Saban, and Eisen asked Bama’s QB1, “What is the most pis-ed off you have made Nick Saban?” We got a story, guys.

Recalling one incident when he was a freshman, Milroe said, “Early on, when I was a freshman, we were finishing up a rep. So, my first three reps were good. I threw a corner route, which was a good ball. The second play, I scrambled and got a positive down, and the third play was a good play. So, I’m feeling good, not gonna lie, I’m feeling good.” All good so far. Freshman QB, great on the fresh set of plays, and he’s feeling good. Well, you know what’s coming next. The mistake.

“My last rep of the team period, I dropped back. Our defense has a lot of disguises. Playing Coach Saban’s defense is very hard. You have to understand the tell, and where the defense is tilted, all the good stuff. So, I dropped pick, I threw the ba*l, and it was picked. As a competitor, I was like, damn man, this is tough. Everybody hates throwing picks. No one likes throwing picks. So I threw a pick, and I didn’t chase the ba*l. When I threw the ba-l, I was on the right hash, I threw the ba*l to the left side of the field. So the ball was to the left, and it was picked off, and I was to the right,” Milroe said. There you have it. A freshman QB threw a pick. What is the big deal, right? Why would Saban be mad at that? Isn’t it a part of the game? Well, let’s take you to the climax.

“I didn’t chase the ba*l down and he (Nick Saban) was standing on the left side of the field. He ran from the left side of the field to the right side of the field, yelled at me! All the way where he was at. Came down, ran me to where the ba*l ended up going to. Screamed at me all the way there, screamed at me some more, walked off, came back, screamed at me, and said that if you don’t chase the ba*l, you’ll never play.”

Well, well, well! Quite the Saban treatment Milroe got. That’s how you build a winning culture. It’s okay that people make mistakes, but even while doing that, keep the focus on the game and contribute in whatever way you can. It could be a punter making a tackle, a WR blocking down the field, or a QB chasing the ba-l after throwing a pick. Every bit matters and these small details make you a championship-calibre team.

After all, it’s not an easy thing to maintain a years-old legacy to continue. Though Milroe might have felt bad at that time listening to his coach lashing out at him, today, he was recalling the same story with a wide smile on his face. We can say that, because of those initial learnings, Milroe has come far in his journey. Let’s hear how his former coach feels about Milroe.

Nick Saban discussed Jalen Milroe’s performance

Right before rushing for 185 yards and scoring four touchdowns, Jalen Milroe’s journey was being discussed by Nick Saban and LSU head coach Brian Kelly. “Brian, we had a hell of a game last year in Tuscaloosa. And probably the only difference in the game was Jalen Milroe’s ability to make some plays with his feet,” Saban said.

Moving forward, Kelly explained some obvious solutions to minimize Milroe’s ability to do that, which were pressure and lane discipline. However, he also praised him by saying, “Jalen Milroe is a player you can’t let get comfortable, like probably a great quarterback. If you let him get into a zone of comfort, you’re in for a long day with really good quarterback.”

Did Kelly implement these learnings from their 2023 encounter? Hell, no! Milroe ran the show again, and on a bad weather day, he broke all the records, including his own after scoring a 72-yard rushing touchdown. In doing so, Milroe also effectively ended LSU’s playoff hopes. Let’s see how he fares against the Bears this week.