Jalen Milroe Shows Signs of Success In New Alabama Offense at A-Day

The Alabama Crimson Tide held its annual A-Day spring football finale this past Saturday, giving fans their first chance to see new head coach Kalen DeBoer's offense at work. DeBoer's downfield vertical passing schemes combined with returning starting quarterback Jalen Milroe's ability to pass the ball deep has the Crimson Tide faithful daydreaming of another trip to the College Football Playoff.

How did Milroe do in front of spectators inside Bryant-Denny Stadium? He completed three of his nine passes for 100 yards while leading two scoring drives. The black non-contact jersey neutralized the threat his legs would bring in a live game this fall, but for a spring game in a new offense, Milroe performed well.

How did Jalen Milroe operate the Alabama offense at A-Day 2024?

Drive 1: 5 plays | 75 yards - Touchdown

• Milroe opened the spring scrimmage with what appears to be a read-option as he's deciding to give or pull the ball based on Quandarius Robinson's movement off the edge. Robinson hesitates, therefore Milroe correctly gives the ball off to Jam Miller for a big gain to start the drive.

• Milroe gets away with one on the second play of the series as it appears Jah-Marien Latham and Tim Smith each tap him in the backfield for a sack, but he avoids the pressure from the blitz off the edge and gains eight yards.

• After a short handoff for a first down, Milroe connects with Germie Bernard for his first big reception of the day. The Crimson Tide signal caller stays calm inside a well-built pocket, gives Bernard a pump fake and then lets it fly confidently. Could a better throw have resulted in a touchdown? Certainly, but at this stage of the relationship between Milroe and Bernard, it's a great sign to find him for a 40-yard strike. A simple handoff to Justice Haynes from five yards away finished off the drive for a touchdown.

Drive 2: 4 plays | 75 yards - Touchdown

• The Crimson Tide's third drive of A-Day opened with a short sweep to the left to Justice Haynes aided by a facemask penalty.

• The next snap brought, arguably, the play of the scrimmage as Milroe connected with Bernard for a second time on the day. This time Milroe hit Bernard in stride and he was able to show off his running ability as he tacked on 34 additional yards for a 52-yard strike in total. The veteran quarterback is quick to recognize Bernard beating Zabien Brown in man coverage and put the ball in the perfect place to make a play showing impressive processing and ball placement for the big play. Jam Miller cashed in from two yards away to end the drive with another touchdown.

Drive 3: 3 plays | 1 yard - Punt

• A handoff to the right to Jam Miller only gets a yard, putting the offense behind the chains. The defense rushes five on second down and while the offensive line does keep Milroe from behind sacked, they clog his passing lane. The quarterback fires down the field but can't fully follow through and misses his pass to Kendrick Law. On third down the defense brings a blitz, moving Milroe before he can even get to the top of the drop. He keeps his eyes downfield but nothing breaks open and ultimately Milroe throws it away for his first stalled drive of the day.

Drive 4: 3 plays | 1 yard - Punt

• Tim Smith beat Tyler Booker off the line of scrimmage and tackled Richard Young for a one-yard gain on first down, once again starting the drive behind the chains. On second down Milroe makes a quick read, throwing out to Young in the flat. Young could've made the reception for three or four yards but dropped the pass upon Deontae Lawson making contact in coverage. Does more patience see Milroe find Kendrick Law breaking from one side of the field to the other for a more profitbale play? Third down brings another drop as Jaren Hamilton can't haul in what would be a first down. The defense opted to only rush three and play coverage leaving Milroe with just one option but to squeeze it in a tight window. His pass could have had more zip, but it was put in a good enough spot for his receiver to make the catch and first down.

Drive 5: 3 plays | -1 yard - Punt

• Alabama opened with a first down pass for the first time with Milroe in command in the scrimmage. The defense inexplicably is able to get a free rusher off the edge against a six-man protection leaving Milroe little time to operate with. The result was a duck of a check down to Richard Young that he promptly dropped when contacted by Domani Jackson. Three drives, three wasted first down plays.

• Leaving Justin Jefferson unblocked was a bad idea for the offense as Young was tackled in the backfield bringing up third and 11. Wilkin Formby and Roq Montgomery can't contain Jah-Marien Latham on third down and Milroe is forced out of the pocket and tackled for no gain. It's a poor series for the offensive line as they were beaten three straight plays.

Drive 6: 3 plays | 6 yards - Punt

• A Montgomery false start sees another Milroe series start behind schedule. The quarterback hangs in the pocket and delivers a pass to Emmanuel Henderson on first and long, but the pass is too high and is dropped. Second and long is a sweep to Jam Miller for just a yard, bringing up third and long for Milroe's final snap of the spring.

• Milroe finishes spring ball with a 10-yard completion to Josh Cuevas. It's short of the line to gain, but a good one to end on as he found the Washington transfer in front of the zone defense.

Milroe saw four of his passes dropped and started each of his final four possessions in damaging down and distances. What he showed on Saturday was a solid understanding of the new offense and a budding connection with Washington transfer Germie Bernard.

His offensive line will likely look much different in the fall and there will be even more opportunities to build chemistry with his receiving core over the summer. However, for now, it appears Milroe is picking up where he left off last season with a strong ability to throw the ball deep while also growing a grasp on how to attack opposing defenses underneath.