Jalen Milroe found his footing in the Iron Bowl, 2024. He shredded Auburn with 360 total yards and three touchdowns, lifting Alabama to a 28-14 win and keeping postseason hopes alive. Right then, Milroe probably knew he had made the right call sticking it out in Tuscaloosa, even after a seven-figure NIL offer tried to pull him away.
“I was offered so much money to leave from any school I wanted to go to,” said Milroe on the Closed on Sundays with Pat and Terrion podcast. “I’m talking about more than 2.5 million.”
Advertisement
Even with a respectable $1.6 million NIL valuation, Milroe was still looking up at rivals like Texas’ Quinn Ewers ($1.9 million) and the colossal $4.6 million valuation of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. It made the reported $2.5 million offer to leave Tuscaloosa all the more significant.
In the transfer portal era where quarterbacks cash in, Nick Saban’s retirement immediately made Milroe one of the hottest targets on the market. So why did he choose to stay and play for a new coach, Kalen DeBoer?
The 2023 season tested Milroe early, as a Week 3 benching could’ve derailed his progress. But the then-Alabama quarterback showed improvement. Getting motivated, he reclaimed the starting job a week later. He then powered Alabama to an SEC crown, a CFP appearance, and a sixth-place Heisman finish.
Advertisement
The program was already in turmoil after Saban’s exit, with the dominoes falling. Star safety Caleb Downs left Alabama and joined Ohio State. Right after him, Crimson Tide quarterback Julian Sayin followed Downs to Columbus. But Milroe pledged his allegiance to Alabama, his decision driven by three factors: faith, family, and football.
That trust was a two-way street. Just as Milroe risked his future trusting DeBoer’s first season, the head coach also did not bench the quarterback, even after he struggled in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The bowl game went sideways in a hurry for Alabama. Milroe’s three turnovers on the opening four possessions, each punished by Michigan, left the Tide staring at a brutal 16-0 deficit, which eventually led to a 19-13 defeat.
“No, I didn’t,” DeBoer said on why he did not bench Milroe. “There’s things that he did. We scored a field goal with him using his legs. We went 95 yards in less than a minute. So just that factor and what we needed with him and his mobility added to the run game, I felt like that was the swap.”
That trust didn’t go to waste. Milroe flipped the switch in the second quarter, marching the Tide downfield twice and trimming the gap to 16-10. Like Milroe, linebacker Deontae Lawson also chose to remain at Alabama after the coaching change. Milroe’s decision to stay set a loyalty standard in a changing program. Later, Ty Simpson tested the same when the transfer portal called.
Advertisement
Ty Simpson stuck to his commitment to Alabama even though the transfer portal came calling hard
Crimson Tide fans must be upset that Simpson changed his mind and decided not to return for the next season, instead declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. As soon as Simpson declared his availability, suitors started circling him, pushing him to enter the transfer portal and play one more year of college football.
Offers reportedly ranged between $4 million and $6.5 million. However, the Alabama quarterback did not flinch from his decision to take his talents to the pro league.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the last jersey I wanted to wear in college was the Alabama Crimson Tide jersey,” Simpson said in an interview with AL.com. “I came there. I stayed there. The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else where I didn’t go out of high school, and I didn’t want to play.”
Advertisement
In an era defined by transactions, Milroe and Simpson’s decision to bet on themselves in Tuscaloosa serves as a powerful example. Increasingly rare, it’s a statement of loyalty.
