Under Kalen DeBoer, the Alabama Crimson Tide has much to look up to, and the bounce back begins with quarterback Jalen Milroe. Much of this is obvious. It has been only last season that the Crimson Tide has known about the QB’s rage as he went 11-2.

Now that someone like DeBoer, with a successful coaching streak, has onboarded the Alabama ship, it will only help Milroe have an edge over other athletes in the SEC. Meanwhile, there comes confirmation from players who believe in the Milroe magic, and the QB got lucky to receive five significant votes in his favor. 

Milroe’s willpower to learn from the past

It was not a bed of roses for Milroe when he joined the Crimson Tide. The QB had an unsteady start, including the heartbreaking home loss against the Texas Longhorns. But it allowed him to rise from the ashes. After getting benched for the USF game, Milroe noted his shortcomings and emerged stronger. In one interview, the QB shared, “So, what a great opportunity to learn and grow from that game, especially playing with a team that played in the Playoff and played at a high level. So, it was just a great opportunity to just learn.” The credit goes to his rich history, which helped him keep his hopes. 

Milroe hadn’t done enough in 12 career games to take up Bryce Young’s place after his departure. But Milroe carries with himself the honor of being a dual-threat potential. Stepping in for an injured Young during the second quarter, the QB amassed five touchdowns and rushed for 155 yards. But what caught the limelight was his 77-yard scramble. It was the same QB who overall has a completion rate of 57% with an average of 5.6 yards per attempt. Banking on all these, here is what the players had to say about Milroe.  

Milroe tops the list in the poll of being the best athlete in the SEC

On July 22, AL.com asked 27 players at the SEC Media Days one question: Who’s the best athlete in the SEC? And guess what? Milroe led the chart by one vote. The support poured in from five players: Landon Jackson from Arkansas, Vanderbilt’s Gunnar Hansen, Kelvin Banks of Texas, Florida’s Montrell Johnson, and Keldric Faulk of Auburn.

“I’d say Jalen Milroe would be the top athlete. I feel like he’s the most athletic quarterback in the conference,” stated Jackson. The Arkansas player had his reasons for casting his vote in favor of Milroe. Some of the longest passes the QB flew were 79 yards, 68 yards, and 56 yards. He spread his magic in passing the longest rushes as it went for 53 yards, 37 yards, and 30 yards.

According to Faulk, “He can do it all. He can use his feet, he’s physical. He’s built different. He doesn’t look like an average quarterback…He can throw the ball. He can run it.” He even drew parallels between Milroe and LSU QB Jayden Daniels for the similar playing style between the two. Built like a tank with a stature of 6-foot-2, it’s now to be seen how the “doctor-ordered” coach Kalen DeBoer makes the best use of the QB.