LOS ANGELES — Jalen Milroe has been the most asked-about player during media availabilities ahead of the Rose Bowl. For good reason, too. The Crimson Tide quarterback is the hottest player on the hottest team in the nation and perhaps the biggest X-factor in Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal between No. 4 Alabama and No. 1 Michigan.

Milroe’s resurgence has been nothing short of remarkable. The redshirt sophomore went from being benched during the Week 3 game against South Florida to finishing sixth in this year’s Heisman Trophy voting. Still, Alabama views its turnaround behind center as a group effort.

“When you’re in that room together as much as we are, you build really a strong rapport and really a family-like atmosphere,” first-year Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. “For them to all support one another, we try to preach as much as we can — there’s one quarterback playing, but we’re after shared success. We’re after the ability to say when a quarterback is playing well, it’s a reflection of the entire group.”

Here’s a look a Milroe’s supporting cast in Alabama’s quarterback room and how they contributed to the Tide’s success this season.

This wasn’t what Tyler Buchner planned, but his move to Alabama didn’t leave him with any regrets. The Notre Dame transfer joined the Crimson Tide with dreams of becoming its next title-winning quarterback. Instead, his lone season in Tuscaloosa featured a different theme

“The experience of failure,” Buchner said. “Not many people get to go through the adversity I get to go through and try to find a way to come out on top. I think that’s been an unbelievable experience and an unbelievable opportunity.”

Buchner came to Alabama after spending the past two years under Rees at Notre Dame. He figured his knowledge of the coordinator’s system paired with the Tide’s uncertainty at the quarterback position would give him a solid opportunity to compete for the starting job behind center.

And he was right.

After Milroe threw two costly interceptions during the Week 2 loss to Texas, Alabama turned to Buchner, handing him the start against South Florida the following week.

“The thought was if I played well, I was going to keep playing,” Buchner told TideIllustrated. “It’s always the idea in all of football. If you don’t play well, it’s next man up. I just didn’t play very well.”

Buchner completed 5 of 14 passes for 34 yards against USF, failing to lead Alabama on a scoring drive on any of his four possessions before being replaced by Ty Simpson in the second quarter.

“To be completely frank, it was pretty dark,” Buchner said looking back at the start. “It was a tough day. I had all these dreams and aspirations of playing in the NFL, being the starting quarterback at Alabama. … I wanted to be the guy to lead this team to a national championship, and I was sad that I couldn’t do that and help my teammates. The biggest disappointment is that you feel like you let your teammates down.”

That mindset lasted a couple of days before Buchner decided to switch his mental approach. While it quickly became clear his future going to involve leading Alabama’s offense on the field, he didn’t give up on his goal of helping the Tide to a national championship.

“I kind of learned how to change my thoughts,” Buchner said. “You can live in this world of disappointment and self-pity and feel bad for yourself, or you can make a decision that, ‘Hey, I’m going to go through every day and be the best person I can be, continue to develop and become better.’ I just moved on to ‘How can I contribute to this team? I’m not the guy, but what can I do to help the other guys.’”

Buchner didn’t see the field again for Alabama following his disappointing start against USF. However, he’s taken on a behind-the-scenes role for the Crimson Tide, helping mentor the other quarterbacks while serving on the scout team. This week, Buchner has served as Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, preparing Alabama’s defense for the dual-threat playmaker.

“He does a great job of giving us a great look each and every day,” Alabama defensive back Malachi Moore said. “I think he’s doing a great job of getting us prepared for the game.”

Earlier this month, Buchner announced his intention to transfer back to Notre Dame where he will now play lacrosse. That wasn’t the route he expected his athletic career to turn, but said he wouldn’t trade this season for anything.

“Not even close to any regret,” Buchner said. “This has been an unbelievable experience. It was my first time ever spending any time in the South. I really enjoyed my time at Alabama. I loved the people I met. I loved my time at the University of Alabama. I had great teachers, great professors. I learned a lot in school.

“I’d say this is the pinnacle of college football. Being able to take in the knowledge that Coach Saban has and everyone else on staff, I truly believe we have the best coaching staff in the country. Being able to talk to them and understand where they are coming from, and to be able to meet a diverse group of people on this team. It’s been a great experience.”

Being a coach’s son has its advantages. Simpson admits he wouldn’t be where he is now without the knowledge and guidance passed down by his father Jason, who serves as the head coach of Tennessee-Martin. Being surrounded by football your whole life also gives you a different vantage point of handling adversity.

After losing out on Alabama’s starting quarter competition this offseason, Simpson heard the whispers of whether or not he should transfer. Fortunately for him, he also received some advice from those close to him. That included the guidance of close friend Dresser Winn, who played quarterback under his father at UT-Martin from 2017-22.

Winn has dealt with a few quarterback battles himself but has worked his way into the NFL making it onto the practice squad for the Los Angeles Rams. His advice to Simpson was simple.

“Just control what you can control,” Simpson said. “I don’t worry about anything else. There are a lot of questions about if I’m going to transfer and who’s going to be starting over me. It’s like forget that, man. I’m here to play ball, and I’m committed to Alabama. When my number is called, whether that’s the Week 1 starter or the third-string guy, I’m always going to be ready. That’s helped me grow as a player and mature as a player. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Another person in Simpson’s ear this season was New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who waited his turn at Alabama before putting together a record-breaking season for the Crimson Tide during its undefeated season in 2020. Jones reached out to Simpson following his game against USF when he rallied Alabama to a 17-3 win while completing 5 of 9 passes for 73 yards and running in a touchdown.

“He texted me after the game and said he was proud of me and was looking forward to seeing the rest of the season,” Simpson said. “I talk to Mac some. He helped me in recruiting, coming to Alabama. I loved his path of waiting and taking advantage of his opportunity.

“Alabama is certainly the best program in the country. With Coach Saban as the headman and going against the best players every day, you’re not going to see that anywhere else. For you to just take all the all the reps you can get and just use that to your advantage, you can’t get that anywhere else.”

Simpson has served as Alabama’s No. 2 quarterback for most of the season. Through six games, he has completed 11 of 20 passes for 179 yards while also recording 86 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground.

“I think you just see the reps he’s had and the opportunity he’s had in games, his ability to stay calm out there and make good decisions, good throws,” Rees said. “We have a ton of confidence in him as the 2 right now. The challenge to him is you’ve got to stay mentally ready every single week. I think he’s done a really nice job doing that. When he’s had the opportunity to play, he’s made plays.”

Simpson said he’s currently focused on Alabama’s run in the College Football Playoff and will make a decision about his future following the season. Despite Milroe’s intention to return next year, Simpson has not ruled out remaining with the Crimson Tide and waiting another season for his opportunity to start.

“Being able to say that you wait your turn and play one year like Mac and being able to play in the NFL, that’s my end goal to be a first-round draft pick and to be a franchise quarterback,” Simpson said. “That’s all I want. Whether it’s here or somewhere else, we’ll see what God has in store.”

Dylan Lonergan does his best to block the outside noise, but even he couldn’t ignore some of the buzz surrounding his name following his performance during Alabama’s A-Day game this year.

The freshman quarterback put together an impressive debut performance in front of Crimson Tide fans, completing 8 of 14 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown during the scrimmage. That even caused some to label him as a dark-horse candidate for the starting job coming out of the spring.

“You try not to look at it, but it definitely comes back to you, and it’s cool to see,” Lonergan told TideIllustrated. “In the end, you just got to stay focused and keep working.”

Despite his promising spring camp, Lonergan didn’t see much playing time in his first year with the program. His lone appearance came against Chattanooga where he completed 2 of 2 passes for 12 yards to go with a 5-yard carry. Still, Year 1 was a success for the highly-touted prospect.

“I think it’s been a good learning experience my freshman year, just being able to go through all this,” Lonergan said. “Just being able to develop in the program, it’s been a really fun year.”

Lonergan’s role next season will likely depend on how Alabama’s quarterback room shakes out this offseason. Either way, the freshman said he isn’t worried about waiting for his turn.

“I always look at it as a competition and getting myself in the best position to improve,” Lonergan said. “I think I got a lot more time, and I’m not worried about getting my opportunity right now. I’ve been able to learn a lot from every quarterback in the room. It’s really improved my game.”

Eli Holstein hasn’t seen the field for Alabama, but he has taken a few college-level hits during his debut season. The freshman quarterback has served on the Crimson Tide’s scout team this season. That’s put him on the receiving end of a few pops from Dallas Turner and company during practice.

“For Arkansas week, I was K.J. Jefferson,” Holstein recalled. “They got to hit me pretty hard every now and then. I kind of enjoyed it because it brought me back to playing real football again. It’s been fun competing with our defense the entire time I’ve been here. It’s really made me better.”

Earlier this week, Rees spoke highly of Holstein, stating he has “progressed tremendously.” While the four-star freshman is eager to see more of the field, he said he classifies his first season with the Tide as a success.

“When I first came in here, my goal was to soak up as much as I could. I just wanted to extend my knowledge of football and improve my play, and that’s exactly what I’ve done with all the reps I’ve gotten this season.”