Jalen Milroe's NFL decision looms large as Alabama prepares for the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl

TAMPA, Fla. – Jalen Milroe walked off the football practice field at Berkeley Preparatory High School in Alabama with a message he wanted to convey.

“It’s just a matter of finishing,” said Milroe, standing confidently and stoically, repeating a mantra he has repeated since the Crimson Tide missed the 12-team College Football Playoff and instead the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl achieved against Michigan.

Finishing is one of the team’s core values, he said, one that unifies a team nearing the end of its first season of the Kalen DeBoer era.

That’s Milroe’s message. But another decision, another reality lies close behind.

On Saturday it came in the form of a group of children waiting patiently on the sidelines with a soccer ball in one hand and a pen in the other. Milroe walked up to the children with a smile and introduced himself simply as “Jalen.”

Then came the question.

“Where do you want to play in the NFL?” one of the kids asked.

Milroe told them he would “like to stay in the South,” but also mentioned the Baltimore Ravens “like my boy Lamar (Jackson).”

The interaction was brief. But it was a reminder of what lies ahead for Milroe: his fate in 2025, whether Tuesday’s ReliaQuest Bowl against the Wolverines will be his last in a Crimson Tide uniform before entering the 2025 NFL Draft.

That’s a question Milroe doesn’t answer. That’s not his mission, he says. The mission is to finish the season and attack Michigan.

It’s an example followed by wide receiver Germie Bernard and defensive lineman Jah-Marien Latham, both refusing to reveal their intentions for the 2025 football season, whether with the Crimson Tide or elsewhere.

Milroe’s decision could remain unspoken as he and Alabama make their final preparations for Michigan.

But it remains obvious as Milroe threw in alongside redshirt-sophomore quarterback Ty Simpson as the expected successor, the former five-star who has been waiting for his chance to line up behind center; as Milroe answered questions about freshman cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe, who is expected to make his debut at wide receiver on Tuesday and could become a weapon in the Crimson Tide’s arsenal as the team’s Aug. 30 season opener at Florida State approaches; When Milroe discussed his relationship with former Alabama and current Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who will play a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Milroe isn’t talking about his NFL decision.

He conveys the same message he’s had all season: a message that encourages his teammates to work on becoming “the best versions of ourselves” and focuses on “preparation.”

“From now until the game, we have a lot of things we can clean up and improve,” Milroe said. “We will take advantage of this opportunity and come together as a group.”

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