After a devastating Week 2 loss to the Texas Longhorns, many wrote off Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, especially after he was sat against USF, but now, the tune has changed after a No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff bracket.
The tune has changed so much that ESPN's Booger McFarland thinks he'll be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at the start of the 2024 season.
"I think Jalen Milroe will be the favorite to win the Heisman when the season starts next year." @ESPNBooger's has high expectations for @AlabamaFTBL in 2024 ? pic.twitter.com/xnkaNbG8eM
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 14, 2023
As mentioned on the broadcast, the Crimson Tide have non-conference games against Western Kentucky, USF, Wisconsin, and Mercer.
Later in the clip, McFarland talks about how, regardless of how the Crimson Tide look after the first two weeks, he won't write them off as so many did after the first two games this season, and he was unsure why everyone did. He believes the Crimson Tide will be better next season and added the nugget about Milroe, saying, "I think Jalen Milroe will be the favorite to win the Heisman when the season starts next year."
When you look at Milroe's stats from this season, he completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,720 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. While this is a respectable line, he was deadly in the rushing attack, racking up 693 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Of his 12 rushing touchdowns, he had seven total in two weeks against LSU and Kentucky.
Numerous quarterbacks will be headed for the NFL in the upcoming draft, likely including Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels (this year's Heisman winner), Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, Michal Penix Jr., and more, allowing for less competition for Milroe.
Next season, quarterbacks like Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Quinn Ewers, and more will look to be in the mix. The College Football Playoff will also expand to 12 teams next season, guaranteeing a program like Alabama a spot unless there's a catastrophic meltdown.
Either way, we look forward to another year of Milroe as the Crimson Tide's signal-caller.
