"Jalen Milroe's a whole lot better than I was": Nick Saban pumps up Rose Bowl matchup with huge praise for Alabama QB

"College GameDay" had Alabama coach Nick Saban on for the ESPN show's Saturday edition in Pasadena, California. At one point in the long-running program, the conversation turned to Jalen Milroe, the Crimson Tide quarterback.

The show's hosts asked Saban if he would allow Milroe to play call for himself, as the long-serving coach was allowed to do during his high school years, to which he replied:

"You know, I think it's a consideration. I think we always have a game plan, and he knows exactly what it is. But you know, in this day and age of football, things have changed so much with a no-huddle and trying to see what the defense is lined up in, and sometimes confirming calls from the sidelines.

"But one thing I will agree with you... Jalen [Milroe's] a whole lot better than I was."

Alabama's Jalen Milroe has become one of the best redeeming stories of the season. Although he was the team's Week 1 starter, Milroe almost lost his starting job after the Week 2 defeat to Texas.

Saban was so worried that in Week 3, he brought in backups Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner against USF. Even poorer performances by them convinced Nick Saban to stick to Milroe.

From then, Milroe started growing as a QB1. The highlight of his season came in Week 13 when he turned the Iron Bowl around by throwing the final passing touchdown against Auburn with 32 seconds left. That day, he threw for 259 yards, with two touchdown passes and ran for 107 yards.

The icing on the cake was beating the then-No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC championship.

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Jalen Milroe's 2023 season stats: Nick Saban's faith pays dividends

In 2023, Milroe threw for 2718 yards, with 23 passing touchdowns and six interceptions for a quarterback rating of 83.4, which ranks sixth in the nation. He had a 65.5% completion percentage, which is 63.5% against AP-ranked teams.

He also ran for 468 rushing yards, with 12 touchdowns: A true dual-threat quarterback. Nick Saban has been proven right to stick with him.

The No. 4 Alabama is set to face No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.