Alabama lost in the Rose Bowl last year
Jalen Milroe is now a veteran quarterback in the Alabama locker room.
The Crimson Tide will be riding the coattails of Milroe for another season, after he helped them to an SEC Championship before coming up just short in the Rose Bowl (a College Football Playoff semifinal) to eventual champion Michigan.
Bama has now played four consecutive seasons since winning their last national championship, but in Bama years, that is a lifetime. It is currently their longest drought since they went from 1993 to 2008 without a title.
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Quarterback Jalen Milroe, #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide, during their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 25, 2023 in Auburn, Alabama. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
Now, in his second season as a starter, Milroe feels much more equipped to handle the big stage - something he was more than sufficient last year.
"The biggest thing is, I want to be more prepared, more confident in game one this year than I was last year. The best thing I can have, after reflecting on last season, is separating it all into two pillars: strengths and weaknesses, and have that time to just pour it into the offseason," Milroe said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I’m pushing every day. I’m super excited for what the future holds. The goal is all about team accolades and how we can build as a group. That’s going to be the important part of the journey."
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, #4, looks downfield during the SEC Championship Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 2, 2023, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Milroe, of course, wants to end this journey with a championship. However, with a new and improved SEC (welcome aboard, Texas and Oklahoma), Milroe said his team will need to slow their roll just a bit if they want to get to the promised land.
"I think we gotta take care of right now. We’re not our best us right now," Milroe said. "Our first game should not be our best game of the season. Not the second game, not the third game, not the fourth game. Every game, we should be getting better and trying to go 1-0.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, #4, celebrates after the SEC Championship Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 2, 2023, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"We can’t look too far ahead, though - just look at right now, because it’s things you control right now that will make us successful."
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