Jalen Milroe recalls lesson learned on bench vs. South Florida in 2023

It’s been a winding road to success for Jalen Milroe. After starting in Alabama’s Week 1 blowout win over Middle Tennessee State last season, the Crimson Tide QB received endless praise. However, just one week later, disaster struck.

In Alabama’s 34-24 loss to Texas, Milroe only completed 14-of-his-27 pass attempts for 255 yards and two touchdowns while throwing two interceptions. In seven days, the nation turned its back on Milroe and head coach Nick Saban benched him.

However, Milroe didn’t allow the setback to deter him. Instead of wallowing in self-pity on the sidelines, he cheered on his teammates in their Week 3 win over USF. During an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast” this week, Milroe pulled back the curtain on his mindset during the trying time.

“Ultimately, it fell back to the uncontrollables and controllables in that process,” Milroe said. “One thing that I try to reflect on is the family acronym when it comes to football: forget about me, I love you. At the end of the day, we had a task when we went on the road, which was to win.

“I had enough knowledge to try to pour into in the room of guys that lacked experience on the field, and give them the information that I’ve had [from my time] on the football field. I just fall back to control the uncontrollable. I can’t control how someone views me, or the playing time, or when I go back on the field. But, I can control how great of a teammate I was.”

Milroe’s selfless attitude didn’t go unnoticed. Saban reinstated the redshirt sophomore as the team’s starting quarterback in Week 4, and he only improved each ensuing week, eventually leading Alabama to an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Although Milroe is no longer competing for his starting spot behind center, he still has the same team-first mindset. It’s worked wonders for him. Only two weeks into this season, Milroe has tallied 394 passing yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception.

Jalen Milroe doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon, either.

“The day I stop learning, the day I stop getting better, is the day I need to retire, the day that I feel as though I shouldn’t be playing the game of football,” Milroe said. “Until then, I’m going to keep on pouring into how I approach the game mentally and physically.”