Some Alabama Crimson Tide Fans Think QB Jalen Milroe Continues to Start Due to His Race

In their first season without the best coach in college football history since the mid-2000s, the Alabama Crimson Tide are looking at the 12-team playoffs from the outside.

New head coach Kalen DeBoer has the Crimson Tide holding three losses with the Iron Bowl left to play. The Oklahoma Sooners, who were fighting for bowl eligibility, held Alabama to three points in a loss that brought pain unknown to many Alabama fans.

The lackluster offensive performance draws attention to how quarterback Jalen Milroe is treated by the fan base when he underperforms.

Alabama Crimson Tide fans and QB Jalen Milroe have a precarious relationship

When Milroe is allowed to run loose by the opposing defense he is one of the most electrifying players in college football. He proved it not long ago when he beat the LSU Tigers with nearly 200 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE BUT FOUR RUSHING TDS FOR JALEN MILROE 😱

ABSOLUTELY TERRORIZING THE LSU DEFENSE 😳 pic.twitter.com/XuXOsCkLLC

— ESPN (@espn) November 10, 2024

But when opposing defenses, like that of the Brent Venables-led Oklahoma Sooners, bottle Milroe up and get pressure on him he struggles.

Milroe threw three interceptions and no touchdowns on a 42.6% completion rate against the Sooners. When combined with his 15 rushes for seven yards, Milroe was only able to lead the Crimson Tide to a three-point performance.

While Milroe’s shortcomings are far from unusual for any given college QB, Alabama fans have come to know a higher standard over the years. Bonafide NFL QBs like Bryce Young, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have shrouded the Crimson Tide fanbase’s idea of what a typical college QB is even if they did have to watch Blake Sims play in 2014.

So when Milroe underperforms, he gets the full wrath of a fanbase who is experiencing mediocrity for the first time in decades. While that isn’t much different from many college fanbases, the vitriol Milroe receives is often based in racism.

Some Alabama fans blame his race for his poor play, while others think his race is what makes it hard for the coaching staff to bench him. The optics of a southern school like Alabama benching a black QB supposedly prevent his benching, even though Nick Saban benched him for a few games in 2023.

Oh. So that’s why #Alabama won’t bench Jalen Milroe. pic.twitter.com/MlwcSFCjih

— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) November 26, 2024

Milroe is the sorriest QB in Bama history. Black QBs can’t win

— LOW (@SheikClass) November 24, 2024

I can’t even lie..”the Milroe gang” just felt racist. https://t.co/vQwLiptQFE

— Bring Back Shame (@dreamHard_) November 25, 2024

I get bashing Milroe to a certain extent but some of the stuff I’ve read is borderline just racism & ignorance lmfao.

It’s really not that serious to go that far to the edge.

— CFBLIVE247™ (@CFBLive247_) January 2, 2024

All the racist are blaming Milroe. 🤣😂🤣😂 Not the oline getting whipped, not the dropped passes, not the sour a** gameplan & overall lack of execution, not the sh***y gap assignments & tackling on defense.

— SRT DRÉ ☥ (@srt_dre) November 24, 2024

Seriously Alabama white fanbase are pathetic. This racist s**t they do to milroe when they lose is disgusting

— drizzy (@Nanakofidonkor2) November 24, 2024

Not only are these examples not indicative of the entire Alabama fan base, but they are not confined to the Alabama fan base either. Baltimore Ravens QB and two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, who is well on his way to a third MVP, gets the same treatment when he underperforms. The Heisman-winning QB fell to the 22nd pick in the draft due to concerns about his “processing ability.”

If Milroe can carve out an NFL career for himself, he will likely have to continue to deal with this issue. The combination of Milroe’s underperformance and Alabama’s first inkling of disappointment in decades just shines a massive spotlight on an issue that every black QB endures.

More NFL and College Football Articles from Andrew Kusleika on Gridiron Heroics:

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