Let All Naysayers Know: Jalen Milroe silences critics questioning quarterback ability
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe put on a show last Saturday in a 41-34 win against SEC rival Georgia, throwing for 374 yards and two touchdowns. He added 117 more yards and another two scores on the ground, thrusting himself to the top of the Heisman trophy front-runner list.
That's a far cry from when Milroe was benched last season after throwing two interceptions in a 34-24 home loss to Texas, and fans jumped off the bandwagon.
Those fans are undoubtedly back on Milroe's side after Saturday's performance.
The 21-year-old from Katy, Texas, a Houston suburb, took it all in stride and is thriving under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer.
He details his journey from football enigma to budding superstar in a new digital series powered by Beast called LANK by Jalen Milroe. The series, produced by Improbable Media (founded by Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and former Duke star and ESPN analyst Jay Williams), is broadcast weekly on Milroe's Instagram account.
In the second episode, Milroe explains the journey and the motivation for LANK, which stands for "Let All Naysayers Know."
Milroe says he went to numerous football camps before attending Alabama, and camp leaders asked him which position he played. He wanted to get the camp coaches' feedback before he told them about his quarterback aspirations.
"You play receiver?" Milroe recalls someone asking him.
"Nah, I don't play receiver," he replied.
"You play DB? Safety," the questions continued.
Milroe answered no to each inquiry about a position other than quarterback.
"They're always shocked when I told them the quarterback position," Milroe said.
But telling anyone who would listen that he is a signal-caller got a different response, one that has been told numerous times through the years when the idea of a Black quarterback wasn't taken seriously.
"Then they go on to say, 'How is your decision making? Are you athletic? Can you run? How fast are you? What's your 40 time?' " There were already people that doubted me, that doubt I can play the position. Don't view that I had the genetic makeup to play the position."
Milroe's father, Quentin Milroe, said people doubting his son's ability is about a perceived narrative.
"And they think, oh, you can – you're athletic, so you can go play something else and not really giving him the benefit of the doubt until they actually see him play. And then, once they see him play, then the conversation completely changes," Quentin Milroe said. "It's been so poignant within his life of playing the position is that they keep trying to move the goalpost on him and he keeps hitting it."
Milroe, who graduated in December with a degree in business administration, is completing 73% of his passes for 964 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception, with 273 rushing yards and eight more scores on the ground for the 4-0 Crimson Tide.