Kalen DeBoer Talks Jalen Milroe

Kalen DeBoer spoke to the media before teeing off at the Regional Traditional in Birmingham for the first time as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Among several other topics, including an update on Parker Brailsford and Jalen Hale, DeBoer spoke about what he saw from Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe in the 15 spring practices Alabama had.

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Milroe won the starting quarterback battle ahead of the 2023 season and after a brief stint from Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson during the game at USF, did not relinquish the starting job the rest of the season. Milroe had 2,834 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns in 2023 and added 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers were good enough to land Milroe a sixth-place finish in the 2023 Heisman Trophy race.

As the highest returning Heisman candidate from last season, Milroe is expected to take another leap in his development heading into 2024, especially now that he has an offensive-minded head coach. DeBoer spoke about that development and the progress Milroe made on Wednesday at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham.

"I think processing [is where he's improved]," DeBoer told WJOX on Wednesday morning. "Whether it be processing and going through progressions and being more disciplined with his footwork, and really paying attention to his footwork -- tying the footwork to the timing and just that clock that you need to have in your head as a quarterback."

"I think there were times when it was really good, and then all a sudden you add some more install, then it kind of drops off a little bit. I think as the spring went on again, he continued to elevate just playing ball. Just moving the chains and playing ball and not trying to run a play, but run an offense. I thought he did a good job of that."

Despite the progress, Milroe finished Alabama's A-Day scrimmage with just three completions and 100 yards passing on April 13. However, that's not an area of concern.

"There were some drops that didn't help him out and things like that," DeBoer said. "But I thought the ball was where it needed to be, and it was on time and so I'm really excited about the summer and what will lead going into fall camp."

DeBoer spoke again later on Wednesday: "He really came a long ways in processing, playing the game, moving the chains. Just when he hits fall camp, I think just having 100 percent confidence in every concept we put in, especially in the first week or two, that he's had rep after rep after rep that he can not just execute but also run the whole show. Just telling every guy what their responsibility is. It goes beyond your position and goes on to the rest of the offense."

DeBoer credited Alabama's offensive line as the group that improved the most over spring, which was an asset to the quarterbacks.

"We saw the spring game where our quarterbacks had some time, opened up some holes -- that wasn't happening like that early in the spring," DeBoer said. "I think they did a great job. The quarterbacks -- I really all think just all grew leaps and bounds, feeling comfortable within the offense so they can hit the ground running in the summer."

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.