Alabama QB Jalen Milroe says former Crimson Tide OC Bill O'Brien told him he 'shouldn't play quarterback'

Before returning to the NFL this season as New England's offensive coordinator, Bill O'Brien spent two seasons in the same position at Alabama.

Part of his tenure there was spent discouraging Jalen Milroe from playing quarterback. That's according to Milroe.

The Crimson Tide quarterback said so while speaking with reporters Thursday ahead of of Monday's national semifinal game against Michigan.

"All my life, even when I was in college," Milroe said of people discouraging him from playing the position. "Shoot, my own offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien told me I shouldn't play quarterback."

Asked on a follow-up about his reaction to O'Brien's assessment, here's what Milroe had to say:

"How would you feel if I told you you suck?" Milroe said.

"I wouldn't like it," the reporter responded.

"OK, then. That's exactly how I felt," Milroe continued. "Biggest thing for me, be true to myself and stay the same. Nothing changed about me. Only thing that changed was that I had opportunity, and I seized it."

Milroe went on to say that O'Brien told him "there's a bunch of positions" he could have switched to from quarterback.

"But look where I am right now," Milroe continued. "Who gets the last laugh?"

How Jalen Milroe got here

Where Milroe is right now is in the College Football Playoff. But it wasn't a straight-forward path to get there.

Milroe took over at Alabama in the fall after 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young left for the NFL as the No. 1 pick by the Carolina Panthers. His hold on the position was initially tenuous, and head coach Nick Saban benched him in Week 3 after he threw two interceptions in a Week 2 loss to Texas. His second interception set Texas up at the Alabama 5-yard line ahead of a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

But Milroe returned as Alabama's starter in Week 4 and has since led the Tide to 10 straight wins that included perhaps the pass of the college football season to beat Auburn ahead of victory over Georgia in the SEC championship. He finished the season completing 65.5% of his passes for 10.4 yards per attempt and 226.5 yards per game with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He added 468 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground as one of college football's most dynamic offensive talents.

Now he's two wins away form a national championship. And he's not shy about letting his doubters know it.