Jalen Milroe 'learned a lot' from O'Brien despite QB challenge - ESPN

PASADENA, Calif. — Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe said Saturday that he probably could have been more coachable when Bill O'Brien was the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator but reiterated that he never considered changing positions.

Milroe said Thursday that O'Brien once told him that he shouldn't play quarterback. O'Brien, now the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, was Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022 when Milroe was a backup.

«You can always soak up more information. That's the biggest thing that you learn in a situation like that, that you can never quit learning and quit listening,» Milroe said at media day for the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, where No. 4 Alabama will face No. 1 Michigan on Monday (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Milroe was the key to Alabama's transformation this season and the 11-game winning streak that landed the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff. He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting and has accounted for 28 touchdowns and just five turnovers in Alabama's past 10 games. That's after being benched against South Florida in Week 3.

Milroe wasn't happy about O'Brien's suggestion to switch positions but said his experience playing under O'Brien wasn't all bad.

«I learned a lot under Coach [O'Brien],» Milroe said. «He had NFL experience and also college experience. He'd been around a lot of great quarterbacks, so the biggest thing I could be was a sponge for information and try to learn as much as I could from him while he was there at Alabama.»

Milroe was more caustic about it all on Thursday when discussing O'Brien and the proposed position change.

«How would you feel if I told you [that] you suck?» Milroe told reporters. «He told me a bunch of