Replacing a championship-winning coach can be the most difficult job in the profession.
Tasked with replacing Nick Saban, a coach widely considered the best to ever grace the sideline, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer may be facing the toughest job in college football history.
To dispel any doubts about DeBoer’s ability to thrive in such a high-pressure environment, you have to count on the coach’s new quarterback, Jalen Milroe, and the motto Milroe has espoused for the Crimson Tide: “Let all the naysayers know.”
DeBoer’s brief but productive tenure in Washington landed him the Alabama job in January.
His ability to get the best out of quarterbacks transformed Michael Penix Jr., once sidelined by injuries, into a Heisman Trophy finalist and top-10 NFL draft pick.
Before reuniting with Penix in Washington, after serving as Penix’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in Indiana, DeBoer and his staff oversaw Jake Haener’s career resurgence. Haener threw for 33 touchdowns and nearly 4,100 yards for DeBoer’s 10-game winning Fresno State team in 2021.
Glimpses of another potential quarterback success story under DeBoer highlighted the coach’s Alabama debut. Milroe needed just seven completions to rack up 200 passing yards in the Crimson Tide’s 63-0 Week 1 rout of Western Kentucky.
An 86-yard connection with Ryan Williams capped a first quarter in which Milroe also ran for a 12-yard touchdown. It was an impressive comeback after a shaky opening drive, during which Milroe was sacked and turned over the ball.
“He threw it less than 10 times; that’s not a very large sample size. But when he got those opportunities, he took off,” DeBoer said of Milroe’s performance, highlighting what he called “underrated” traits of the quarterback. “I really liked the touchdown pass. [Kendrick] Law, where he took a step forward, was decisive, he had his eyes fixed on the pitch.”
Milroe finished the day with three passes and two rushing touchdowns, tied for fourth in Alabama history in a single game. The Hilltoppers were unable to put up any resistance; any number of SEC defenses will prove tougher for Milroe.
However, the quarterback took a major first step toward immediately following the path left by Penix in Washington as a Heisman contender.
“It’s been awesome,” Milroe said after Saturday’s win, talking about how he built his relationship with DeBoer in the offseason. “What’s been amazing is all the work that’s been done in the dark is coming to light today. And I’m very excited for our offense, very excited for our football team, because I’ve seen a lot of growth.”
Milroe’s description of working in obscurity with results coming to light seems like an apt, if unintentional, metaphor for the quarterback who works in the shadow of the numerous Alabama champions, All-Americans and Heisman candidates who filled that position before him.
His predecessor, Bryce Young, became the first Crimson Tide quarterback to win the Heisman in 2021. Young’s run at the sport’s highest individual honor provided a crescendo to the Alabama quarterback’s ever-improving play during the Saban years.
The high bar that Milroe holds to mirrors that of his coach. In that sense, they are an ideal match for this pivotal moment in Alabama football history.
