Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer wants NFL scouts to know that his quarterback is the real deal. DeBoer is comparing his former play caller Jalen Milroe to current Baltimore Ravens gunslinger Lamar Jackson.

DeBoer went on to say in the press that the Ravens have used Jackson's talents to great effect, by allowing him to throw and run. The Alabama football coach hopes Milroe gets that same type of opportunity.

“I think it's that style of play that would be a great fit for him for sure,” DeBoer said, per the Akron Beacon Journal. “And there's a lot of things you can do, as we've seen with Lamar, at that level that you can win a lot of football games. And so that I think is fair. Again, we're talking about the style, I'm talking about the style, and now it's a matter of being around the right people as you continue to develop and grow and keep taking those steps each and every day, each and every year.”

Milroe is currently in the NFL Draft process, hoping to get picked by a team. He's been linked to the Cleveland Browns, but also interviewed with other teams.

Expectations are high at Alabama for the 2025 season

The Crimson Tide works out on the first day of practice for the 2024 season Wednesday, July 31, 2024. Alabama linebacker Qua Russaw (4) and Alabama linebacker Jayshawn Ross (43) take a break to cool down.
© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama football missed the College Football Playoff in DeBoer's first season. There are high expectations for the Crimson Tide, that that won't happen again. DeBoer is succeeding legendary coach Nick Saban at the school.

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Alabama had some big wins in the coach's first season, including a victory over Georgia. Milroe quarterbacked the team to a nine win season. That campaign ended with a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Milroe finished the campaign with 2,844 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He started the last two seasons at the school. In 2023, he posted 2,834 passing yards, with 23 touchdowns.

DeBoer believes his former quarterback can make a difference on any NFL team.

“I mean, your job is to move the ball down the field and put the ball in the end zone and win football games, and so what can you keep working on?” DeBoer added. “It's going to be just relentlessly working with your skill guys being on the same page with your coach. I mean, he does those things. So I think it's just staying the course on a lot of that and the development continuing to be there.”

Alabama football kicks off its 2025 season with a game against Florida State.