TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A new-look Jalen Milroe strolled into Alabama’s indoor facility on Tuesday, highlighted braids peeking out of his skull cap as he spoke to reporters.
The fresh hairdo isn’t the only noticeable change regarding Alabama’s starting quarterback this fall. Milroe also seems to be sporting a new air of confidence and comfortability heading into his second season as a starter.
He thanks Kalen DeBoer and his new coaching staff for that.
"I can just say that I’m really having a lot of fun," Milroe said. "The game of football is fun. Just being around him, that’s something that’s emphasized with the whole coaching staff. You’ve always got to start at the top, which is Coach DeBoer, but also the coaching staff that he has with us has been awesome."
Don’t take that the wrong way. Milroe wasn’t miserable working under Nick Saban last season. Tuesday, the quarterback spoke highly of his former coach, crediting him for teaching him to trust the process. Despite enduring a rollercoaster start to the season, Milroe said his confidence in his ability never wavered last year. Neither did his enjoyment of the game.
Still, there’s something special about the environment DeBoer has built for his quarterback since taking over the team seven months ago. Milroe said the head coach’s positivity and likeability have been infectious, spreading across the entire facility while creating an easier path for growth.
"He of course strives for perfection, but he acknowledges that it’s a work in progress so it’s always critique in private, praise in public," Milroe said. "And that’s something that he does a really good job at."
That trust and respect is the same with Milroe and first-year offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who followed DeBoer from Washington this offseason.
“Number one, he believes in me,” Milroe said. “He loves me, and I think there’s nothing greater than that. Beyond any Xs and Os and going over schemes, it’s the belief system a coach has in a player. So you’re going to want to play for a coach. You’re going to want to do ultimately your best each and every day because you have a coach who is behind you and wants the best for you.”
Milroe is also feeling more comfortable on the field. Earlier this offseason, he expressed his excitement about Alabama’s new offense, stating that DeBoer and Sheridan were catering toward his skill set. Milroe believes that will create a multi-dimensional attack while allowing him to take his game to another level.
“At the end of the day, when a player’s on the field he needs to play fast, free fearless,” Milroe said. “So with that, it comes with play calls, it comes with being familiar with the scheme, being prepared, taking notes when you’re in the film room so that when you get on the field you can play fast. The biggest thing as a player is you don’t want to be overthinking when you’re on the field.”
Alabama will get its first look at how Milroe’s extended confidence translates into a game-like setting this weekend, as the No. 5 Crimson Tide kicks off its season against Western Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Heading into the opener, DeBoer expressed confidence in his quarterback’s progression this offseason, praising him for his consistency, attitude and effort.
“I really have an appreciation for what he's done,’ DeBoer said Monday. “He’s been really patient, going way back to the spring, on letting us just put the offense in and the progression that we’re used to and the things that we see. You always see the things that you want to get in, and these are the things that you did really well. And we get to those. But there’s a progression with the teaching that’s happened, and I just appreciate the patience he's had from the very beginning when we got here. Getting through all of it and now being ready to play Week 1.”
And now comes the fun part.
