Jalen Milroe returned to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday as a former Alabama football starting quarterback.
After his Alabama Pro Day , one where he left the field as confident as he's been with the Crimson Tide , Milroe reflected on what the Alabama quarterback room did for him and how he left developed.
So when Milroe was asked about his heir, about who would be the next quarterback to take a snap for Alabama Aug. 30, he talked knowing how much growth Ty Simpson , Austin Mack and Keelon Russell were about to see.
"They're all great quarterbacks," Milroe said. "I know they have a bright future in front of them. They are around a great coaching staff, around a lot of people that care about them. Where they are at today, and where they are going to be at in the future is going to be even better because of the people that they have around them. And they are going to have a great support system around them to uplift them so that they can be the best version of themselves."
Milroe knows Simpson and Mack best, spending the past three seasons with the former Tennessee five-star, and the past season with the Washington transfer. And, to Milroe, one thing is certain: the talent is there.
But neither Simpson nor Mack have had much of a chance to show that talent. Simpson has 50 career pass attempts in three seasons, while Mack has three pass attempts in two collegiate campaigns, one of which ended in a 30-yard touchdown to Rico Scott.
Milroe doesn't know the newest member of Alabama's quarterback room too well. But he knows where Keelon Russell comes from.
"My young guy, Keelon, he has a bright future in front of him," Milroe said. "He's from the state of Texas. He's from a state where everything's about competing and being the best version of yourself. He has a bright future. I know he's going to keep on getting better, keep grinding."
Russell may be the highest-rated member of Alabama football's quarterback room in terms of 247Sports' composite rankings. He's the highest-rated quarterback the Crimson Tide has secured since Bryce Young . But Milroe said the opportunity is there for Russell to learn as he once did from the returners in the room.
"The knowledge base that's in that room, you got guys, one's going to be a senior, junior and now a freshman, there's going to be so much knowledge ahead of him that he can soak," Milroe said. "And also having a play-caller in coach Grubb, who has so much knowledge."
Milroe may not be in Alabama's quarterback room any longer. But he knows what it will look like because he's been there.
"That room is going to expand, get better," Milroe said. "And I'm excited to see where they go."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Jalen Milroe sees Alabama football quarterback room in 2025
