Alabama's Jalen Milroe says Bill O'Brien told him he shouldn’t play quarterback: ‘Look where I’m at right now’

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Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe will be playing Monday for the right to compete for the national championship when the Crimson Tide take on the Michigan Wolverines. 

Milroe, in his first year as a starter, is the main reason Alabama is in the College Football Playoff after ripping off 11 straight wins to end the season. 

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) celebrates after the SEC championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs Dec. 2, 2023, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

And while Milroe is now the clear leader of the offense, there was a time earlier in his career when his future at the quarterback position was questioned. 

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Ahead of a Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan, Milroe spoke to reporters Thursday and revealed he was encouraged to switch positions. 

"All my life. Even when I was in college. My own offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien, told me I shouldn’t play quarterback," Milroe said when asked if there was a time when someone wanted him to play another position. "There's a lot of things I can have motivation on, and that is something I have motivation from."

Milroe filled in for the injured Bryce Young last season against Arkansas and Texas A&M — both Alabama victories — with O’Brien as offensive coordinator. O’Brien is now the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. 

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien before the SEC championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs Dec. 4, 2021, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.