Teammates say Milroe’s rise at Alabama was inevitable

Deontae Lawson and Malachi Moore are defensive backs who play for Alabama, so they see plenty of quarterback Jalen Milroe during practices.

That’s why both say they never doubted that Milroe would emerge from an inauspicious start to this season to play a huge role in the 11-1 Crimson Tide’s march to this Saturday’s SEC Championship Game vs. 12-0 Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

And what a rise to prominence it has been for Milroe. He went from being the losing quarterback in the second game of the season to Texas to losing his starting job the very next week against South Florida to touting himself as a Heisman Trophy candidate in a social-media post that went viral after last Saturday’s improbable 27-24 comeback victory at Auburn. Milroe capped that win by a late touchdown pass to wide receiver Isaiah Bond on fourth-and-goal from the Auburn 31-yard line with the game — and perhaps the season — hanging in the balance.

Milroe has been so good since being benched for the South Florida game that no one dismissed his self-proclaimed Heisman candidacy after the Auburn game. Regardless of his chances this season, he already appears to have positioned himself as a favorite for the honor next season.

He has done so with his arm and his legs.

In the nine games since he watched from the Bama sideline vs. South Florida, Milroe has completed 68% of his passes (131 of 193) for 2,077 yards while throwing for 16 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He’s also run for 10 additional touchdowns (and 12 overall this season), including a dazzling 155-yard, four-TD outing in a 42-28 win over LSU and the 49-21 triumph over Kentucky when he registered six total TDs — three through the air and three rushing.

„I saw early in the season as a learning moment, and that goes for anyone,“ Milroe said earlier this week on a teleconference call. „No one is perfect in this world. To me, that’s the biggest thing. I know I’m not a finished product, and I just constantly try to be the best version of myself on and off the field.

„And the biggest thing that I can say that contributed to that was my support system — my support system meaning my teammates in the locker room, my coaching staff and my family. … I think has truly uplifted me through this journey during the season. I can honestly say that. But the biggest thing, it’s just constantly trying to work toward the common goal, and the common goal is to be successful.“

Lawson said he pulled Milroe aside following the 34-24 loss to Texas, which came at home in Tuscaloosa.

„Jalen Milroe is a guy I came in with,“ said Lawson, like Milroe a redshirt sophomore. „I never doubted J-Mill even after the Texas game we lost. I kind of met with him alone and just told him I believe in him and just keep having faith and you will be the guy.“

For Moore, the complete revelation came during Alabama’s 26-20 win at Texas A&M on Oct. 7. Milroe finished that game with a season-high 321 yards passing while throwing for three TDs.

„I actually got injured that game and I was in the locker room for a little while,“ Moore recalled. „After halftime I come out and I see he’s thrown the ball for like 250 yards, and as I’m out there, he just keeps bombing and bombing it. That’s when I saw the team get really comfortable with him and trust in him and his abilities.“

Milroe’s infectious smile and seemingly boundless enthusiasm seems to energize the team whether he’s on the field, in the locker room or even on the sideline, such as during the one game he sat out. Moore noticed that, too, and said that was when Milroe began to emerge as a true leader.

„I would say the USF game, just to see him how he handled the situation, how he was still there for his teammates, still talking, hyping us up, being positive on the sideline. I think that’s when I realized how much of a leader Jalen was and how much of a great teammate he was,“ Moore said.

Now Milroe’s fan club is growing by the day. Count Kirby Smart as a member. As much as Smart and the Bulldogs will be trying to slow him down come Saturday, the Georgia coach compared Milroe to a legendary real-life and video-game QB.

„It’s like when I used to ask my sons on ‚Madden.‘ They wanted to play with the Ravens and I’d ask, ‚Why are you playing with the Ravens?'“Smart said earlier this week. „They’d say, ‚I’ve got Lamar Jackson and nobody can tackle him.‘ This guy is a bigger, more physical version of that. He is playing in a different speed than anybody else when you watch him.“

It isn’t just that Milroe plays at a different speed. He’s also built like a Mack Truck. While he’s listed on the Alabama roster at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he laughed at that when reminded of it.

„No, that ain’t accurate. I’m much bigger than that,“ he said. „That was like freshman year.“

Milroe clearly has come a long way since then, both mentally and physically, as quarterback and team leader.

„His leadership is unmatched,“ Lawson said. „He’s just a great teammate. His personality is great. He’s always smiling, always getting people in better moods. But when it’s time to work, he’s serious about his business, and he prepares like no one else. I think that’s what makes him elite.“

Milroe said he is the same person now that he was when he first arrived at Alabama in the most important way.

„I think the biggest thing I try to be is be a servant leader,“ he said. „My mom taught me this when I was younger. She said to me, ‚The goal in life is not to seek the blessings but be a blessing to other people.‘ That set with me as I played the game, and that was something that honestly stuck with me. That’s how I try to influence other guys.

„Then another thing, too, is try to lead by example as much as possible and do things the right way, be seen as someone doing things the right way, and that’s something that motivates me. That’s something that’s a part of my burn, as I like to say, that gets me going, and I can honestly say that I gain more joy from other people’s success and other people working toward a common goal than any personal success.“

Thus, like his teammates, he never doubted he eventually would succeed in a big way this season.

„I’ve been the same person since I started playing the game,“ Milroe said. „The situation that happened during the season doesn’t define who I am. I’ve been the same person since I entered college. Nothing has changed about me except the opportunity to play the game I love.“