Well, looks like spring is finally here in Tuscaloosa! After all, the last few months had been too chilly and tough for Kalen DeBoer. Thanks to his QB, Jalen Milroe, and the struggles that surrounded the quarterback position. And here comes Crimson Tide’s new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, ushering in some cozy times ahead. After all, what’s a better match than the DeBoer-Grubb pair? What say, folks? The powerful duo had already written history back in Washington. But someone might not be happy seeing this change. And that’s Milroe.    

Now that was not what DeBoer signed up for. After all, he knew that he had to take up the GOAT Nick Saban’s position. However, he still thought of giving it a shot. After all, Tuscaloosa has always been the home to the best quarterbacks who landed big in the NFL. Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young, Jalen Hurts, and the list continues. Sadly, DeBoer turned out to be the unlucky one.

His quarterback, Milroe, had an overall complicated legacy in Bama. The quarterback was never an All-American, never a Heisman finalist, never won a national championship or even a College Football Playoff game. Hereby Milroe was the QB; DeBoer was stuck with who committed to the 2025 NFL Draft in January.

On the On3 podcast, J.D. PicKell stated, “When you talk about Kalen DeBoer, his first year in Tuscaloosa, that he was operating under very clunky circumstances like Jalen Milroe…he wasn’t the right fit for Kalen DeBoer’s offense.” Why so? Here are the numbers. In practice, the player averaged 20 attempts. Now that’s not up to the ceiling that the DeBoer-Grubb duo had set; that is a historical average of around 40 attempts a game. That’s when PicKell thinks of Grubb emerging as DeBoer’s lifeboat, “Robin to your Batman.” The analyst further claimed, “I don’t want to overestimate it, but I think it’s going to make a massive difference.” Well, he had his reasons to say so.

Even though DeBoer took the reins, Crimson Tide lost four games, out of which three losses were by one score. Cut two, let’s get back to the DeBoer-Grubb era in Washington. Back in 2023, the duo gifted the Huskies eight wins by one score. So, the better days are ahead in Tuscaloosa, as they will be having two “quarterback elevators” who molded QBs like Michael Penix Jr. to the NFL. Definitely, Penix Jr. had a glow-up in Washington, going from 14 touchdown passes to 30 touchdown passes. So, now Milroe might have caught up on some FOMO feels. 

Had he stayed in college football instead of jumping to the NFL, he might have cemented his legacy as more than just a “good” player. Meanwhile, Alabama fans might be eager to find the answer to ‘Who’s next?’

How Jalen Milroe’s successor will be the lucky one 

The pressure is mounting for redshirt junior Ty Simpson. Even though analyst Steven Lassan ranked him quite low at No.13 out of 16 quarterbacks, there are chances for him to climb the ladder. On That SEC Football Podcast, he stated, “I think if I knew he was the starter, I would probably move him up a spot or two. I think a lot of potential. Former five-star. The DeBoer-Ryan Grubb offense, I think is going to produce yards, and it’s certainly going to produce points.” Already, Simpson has proven himself to be a better QB than Milroe. 

Yes, there is no doubt that DeBoer’s former QB is one of the most exciting players for his physical ability, but there are areas that flipped the narrative against him. The most prominent is Milroe’s struggle with his accuracy and control. On the flip side, DeBoer can lie back and relax when it comes to Simpson. 

The sophomore quarterback from Martin, Tennessee, is believed to carry accuracy with himself as a passer. As Clint Lamb from BamaOnline noted, “He (Simpson) throws with accuracy. Bal-s placement, in my opinion, has it been a little spotty at times. Yes, but I think he is way more consistent with ba-l placement and accuracy than Jalen Milroe.” While Simpson gets a front-row seat to the DeBoer-Grubb masterclass, Milroe might be left holding an empty deck of ‘what could have been.’