Jalen Milroe: Ex-OC Bill O'Brien 'told me I shouldn't play quarterback'
LOS ANGELES – Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, while previewing the Rose Bowl against Michigan, revealed that former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told him he should change positions when Milroe was the backup to Bryce Young from 2021-22.
Speaking to reporters at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, Milroe was asked if there was a moment someone wanted him to play a different position but he stuck with quarterback.
“All my life, even when I was in college,” Milroe said on Thursday morning. “My old offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, told me I shouldn’t play quarterback. There’s a lot of things I can have motivation on, and that’s something I have motivation from.”
Was there a specific position that O’Brien, now in New England, suggested for Milroe?
“He told me there was a bunch of positions I could have switched to, but look where I’m at right now,” Milroe said. “So who gets the last laugh?”
How did that make the Alabama starter feel when his offensive coordinator said that?
“How would you feel if I told you you sucked? (I wouldn’t like it.) That’s exactly how I felt. The biggest thing for me was be true to myself and stay the same. Nothing changed about me. The only thing that changed about me was I had an opportunity, and I seized it.
“For me, the biggest thing was just stay true to myself and have a bigger purpose than anyone on the field.”
Milroe has thrown for 2,718 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions on 171-of-261 passing (65.5 percent). Milroe hasn’t thrown an interception in his last three games and has the SEC’s second-best passer rating (177.48, 4th nationally) behind Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. He is also second in the SEC and nation with an average of 10.4 yards per attempt.
The Alabama quarterback has also been effective on the ground with 468 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 140 carries. Milroe ranks fourth in the SEC in rushing scores and 10th in carries entering the postseason matchup with No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl semifinal.
In his first year as the Tide’s starter, Milroe has had a new coordinator in Tommy Rees, who he was also asked about on Thursday. He detailed his connection with the 31-year-old.
“One thing: trust,” Milroe said. “That’s the biggest thing. Trusting that he has my back, trusting that I have his back is something that we’ve grown throughout the season and is constantly growing. That’s something that’s allowed us to be where we’re at right now, just the trust factor.
“And then for me, just trying to learn as much as possible because of who he is and what he’s been around. He has a lot of information that I can soak up and learn as much as possible.”
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