“I think Alabama was the best”- $1.2M NIL-valued Jalen Milroe breaks silence on whether Texas “dropped the ball” during his recruitment process

Jalen Milroe has established himself as an elite quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But Tuscaloosa wasn't his first destination as he had committed to the Texas Longhorns during the recruitment process.

The Crimson Tide QB1 opened up about his recruitment last week on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast. When asked if the Longhorns "dropped the ball" before his switch, Milroe said:

“Yeah, they did. … It was some things during the process that was best for my future. I think Alabama was the best.”

Jalen Milroe, who has an NIL valuation of $1.2 million (according to On3), was committed to Texas for about a year before he decided to join the Crimson Tide instead. While these days, a flip is mostly because of the NIL, that wasn't the case for Milroe. The cause of Milroe's flip was Quinn Ewers’ commitment to play in Austin.

Interestingly, Ewers flipped, too, joining Ohio State, and coach Tom Herman was replaced by Steve Sarkisian. The QB ultimately came in to play for the new coach before the 2022 season.

On the other hand, Jalen Milroe backed up Bryce Young in 2021 and 2022. He led the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, where they fell to the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinal at the Rose Bowl, in 2023, his first year as a starter. Milroe also holds the distinction of being the last QB1 to play for the legendary Nick Saban.

The exact moment that nudged Jalen Milroe to join Alabama

During the podcast, Jalen Milroe talked about the exact moment that sealed the Alabama deal for him. It was a phone call from Nick Saban, asking him to come to Tuscaloosa. And it happened when Tua Tagovailoa was selected in the 2020 NFL draft.

"Saban called me and said, 'Hey, you come here. This will be you in the next.' So, I was in junior high school. ... That's some commitment. ... You ain't got to sell me nothing,” Milroe said.

Milroe will return as a starter for Kalen DeBoer this fall to try to mount Alabama's next national championship run. If he manages the kind of performance he put up last year, Saban's words might prove to be prophetic.