Nobody in college football has faced more adversity over the last couple of seasons than Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
After making his starting debut in relief of the injured Bryce Young in 2022 against Texas A&M and performing poorly, Milroe did not get another chance to start until the beginning of the 2023 season.
Then, two games into the year, Milroe was benched due to poor performance before being reinstalled as the starter the following week. He improved with each game as the season progressed.
Following Alabama’s loss to Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Milroe’s coach and greatest mentor, Nick Saban, decided to retire.
Now entering a new era of Alabama football under Kalen DeBoer, Milroe shared with ESPN on Thursday the most important lesson Nick Saban taught him.
Jalen Milroe on the most important lesson he learned from Nick Saban:
(via @GetUpESPN) pic.twitter.com/lXy9Kqolqp
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) July 25, 2024
“There’s so many things I learned from Coach Saban, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one. But if I was to choose one, I would say ‘trust the process.’ Every process is different when it comes to just trusting your journey,” Milroe said.
“As a guy that came in from Texas and being acclimated to a new environment at Alabama and how we push every single day to accomplish any goal that you want to achieve. There’s adversity that comes along the process, times of self doubt, times where you have to push through hard circumstances. And throughout that time never waver from that. And it comes from a leader like Coach Saban pushing each and every day to be the best you, and that’s very important. Go 1-0 each and every day and trying to attack the day at hand. It’s all about trusting the process.”
Milroe will surely learn from his journey and help carry it over to the next era of Alabama football as he prepares to lead his team into battle in just over a month from now.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
