Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer revealed why he decided to keep Jalen Milroe in during the Crimson Tide's rough bowl game loss to Michigan. The Crimson Tide will now not reach ten wins for the first time since 2007 in a disastrous 19-13 loss against the 7-5 Wolverines. That is not how DeBoer wanted to end his first year in Tuscaloosa and not the note Milroe wanted to potentially end his college career on.

The William V. Campbell Trophy winner struggled mightily on Tuesday, committing three turnovers overall. With the offense stagnating most of the afternoon, the Crimson Tide head coach was asked whether a quarterback change was a real possibility. DeBoer gave a resounding answer to Alabama beat writer Nick Kelly.

“No, I didn't (consider a QB change). There's things he still did. We scored the field goal with him using his legs. We went 95-plus yards in less than a minute. Just that factor and what we needed with him and his mobility added to the run game. The interception was early, and many of those incompletions happened down and in distances that weren't favorable. I thought there were still a lot of good plays he made, too. I saw a fighter. The fight in his eyes. As long as I see that, I want to hang in there with the guys this program means a lot to.”

Alabama football enters a rare period of uncertainty

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Michigan Wolverines defensive end Derrick Moore (8) sacks Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) during the first half at Raymond James Stadium.
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Despite the top-tier recruiting class coming in, Alabama is in a rare window where there's genuine concern about this program's future. It is important to note that the Crimson Tide have had rough bowl performances under Nick Saban before. Prior to winning his first national title in Tuscaloosa, Saban had an embarrassing Sugar Bowl loss to Utah in 2009. However, Nick Saban's team almost always looked ready to play during the regular season, especially coming into consequential games.

The same cannot be said for Kalen DeBoer's team in 2024. The Crimson Tide have suffered a trio of embarrassing losses this season, and it didn't matter how high the stakes were going into these games. Even when it was confirmed that if Alabama won out it would make the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide subsequently got blown out by unranked Oklahoma.

There is still plenty of time for DeBoer to restore this program to its proper place in 2025. But right now, it clearly lacks the momentum it is used to. And that's concerning.