The term rollercoaster is overused in sports, but it’s fitting for quarterback Jalen Milroe and the career he put together with Alabama football before the Seattle Seahawks drafted him in the third round of the NFL Draft.
He never lost to Auburn, Georgia or LSU. Meanwhile, he fell twice to Michigan, once to Vanderbilt and once to Oklahoma, a game the Crimson Tide should not have lost.
Even in his first game as a starter, Milroe had high highs and low lows. Milroe turned the ball over multiple times against Texas A&M that night in 2022, but he also passed for three touchdowns and led the Crimson Tide to a victory while filling in for Bryce Young.
That first game captured the Milroe experience to come. He was as exciting of a football player as you could find in the college game the past two seasons, but he too often lacked consistency from game to game.
Milroe is made for highlight reels, though. That’s why he put together some iconic moments and games during his time as a starting quarterback, first for Nick Saban and then for Kalen DeBoer.
Here are Milroe’s top five best moments from 2022 through 2024.
5. At Arkansas, 2022
Young was out of the game, so the backup quarterback was going to have to win it. And Milroe did.
But not without some stress for the Crimson Tide faithful. Milroe built Alabama’s lead to 28-0 in the second quarter after he ran in a score and tossed one to JoJo Earle. Then Arkansas scored 23 unanswered points heading into the fourth quarter. Alabama’s lead shrunk to 28-23 in a raucous environment in Fayetteville.
Then on third-and-15, Milroe saw open grass and took advantage. He ran 77 yards to the Arkansas 3-yard line. A few plays later, running back Jase McClellan punched in a run for a touchdown. Alabama went on to win the game 49-26.
Milroe turned on the jets and put the football world on notice for the first time that day.
4. LSU, 2023 and 2024
OK, this is cheating a little bit, but we couldn’t decide between which of the LSU games to include on the list. Milroe dominated in both games, like he hit copy and paste.
The first, Milroe ran for four touchdowns in 2023 at Bryant-Denny Stadium with 20 carries for 155 yards. He also completed 15 of 23 passes for 219 yards. Alabama won that night 42-28.
Then fast forward to 2024, and the Crimson Tide traveled to Baton Rouge to face the Tigers in a must-win game to stay alive for the College Football Playoff. Milroe cruised again, rushing for 185 yards on 12 carries and four touchdowns. Alabama won 42-13.
No team is happier that Milroe is off to the NFL than LSU, probably.
3. SEC Championship Game 2023
Georgia had not lost a game in two seasons.
Not since the 2021 SEC Championship Game had the Bulldogs done anything but win. That included two national championships. Once again ranked the No. 1 team in the nation, Georgia eyed a third straight national championship.
Milroe and Alabama stood in the way, though.
Milroe completed 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers as the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 27-24 to win the SEC Championship Game.
In the process, Alabama snapped Georgia’s 29-game winning streak and kept the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff. Milroe and company ensured there would be no three-peat.
2. Georgia 2024
Yes, this was only a regular season game. And no, it didn’t have near the significance of the 2023 SEC title game. But this one gets a higher ranking for two reasons.
- Jalen Milroe might have played the best game of his career.
- The win sent a message to the world that Alabama football wasn’t going anywhere, even without Nick Saban.
Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two passing touchdowns. He also ran 16 times for 117 yards and two more scores. He threw one of the best passes of his career on a first-half touchdown to running back Jam Miller. Then in the second half, Milroe chucked up the ball to Ryan Williams for 75 yards to fight off Georgia’s second-half comeback attempt.
This game would go down as Milroe’s signature moment if not for his heroics one night on the Plains.
1. Fourth-and-31
Alabama’s grave had been dug. Then Milroe pulled the Crimson Tide out of that grave.
All hope seemed lost. Alabama trailed Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium, down four with not even a minute left. Milroe and the Crimson Tide had one shot left, on fourth-and-31.
Easy enough, right?
Milroe made it look like it. He sat back and found Isaiah Bond in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. Alabama won 27-24.
The unforgettable play will forever go down in Iron Bowl lore, and it belongs atop the list of Milroe’s memorable moments in the crimson and white.
