"The day I stop growing is the day I need to retire": Alabama QB Jalen Milroe on chasing greatness as student of the game

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe is gearing up for his second season as a starter for the program. Former head coach Nick Saban put his faith in Milroe last year to lead the team on the field and despite a few small hiccups, he proved to be worthy of being QB1. Milroe led the program to an SEC title and a playoff berth, where they lost in the semifinals to Michigan.

Now, with Saban retired and Kalen DeBoer brought in as the new head coach, Jalen Milroe is gearing up to lead the program on a field under a new offensive scheme. During a recent appearance on Adam Breneman's show, the young quarterback opened up about carrying forward the experience and the lessons he learned last year into the 2024 season.

Milroe also talked about how he is a 'student of the game' and is constantly working on improving his strengths and weaknesses. He said improving on a daily basis is the long-term goal for him in his footballing journey. Here's what he said on "Next Up with Adam Breneman":

"For me, you know, being a first year starter last year, each game that went by I learned so much. Whether it was positive or negative, I learned so much. So now, we're in offseason period, I can look at the strenghts from last year, look at the weaknesses, to now we have the offseason now, with this staff, all we want to do is be better than we were yesterday.

"But it's been a great ride for me at the quarterback position, just steadily trying to climb and get better, look at new ways to improve. Because for me, the day I stop learning, the day I stop growing is the day I need to retire. So that's how I feel being the student of the game and trying to climb each and every day." (4:50)

Last season, Jalen Milroe helped the Crimson Tide finish with a 12-2 overall record. He recorded a total of 2,834 passing yards and 23 TD passes, along with 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Milroe spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career as the backup to now-Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young.

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Jalen Milroe exudes confidence ahead of the 2024 season

Despite losing a few key talents following Nick Saban's retirement, Kalen DeBoer has so far done a good job of filling the voids in the roster. Jalen Milroe believes that the newly revamped roster is ready to showcase its strength and compete for a chance to win the national championship this upcoming season.

Milroe also opened up about the mentality in the locker room, stating that all the players are constantly trying to improve their game in order to emerge as champions when the time comes.

"I think the challenge is for other teams to stop us," Milroe told The Spun. We have a starving group that's in the locker room. That's the thing that we have, that mentality to try and improve and get better as a whole.

"When you have individuals that are constantly trying to improve and build with their teammates, that's when you can build a great team. That's what we have, I don't feel any added pressure at all."

Jalen Milroe is considered to be a contender for the Heisman in the 2024 season. It will be interesting to see if he and DeBoer can lead the Crimson Tide to glory like how Nick Saban did during his 17-season stint in Tuscaloosa.