Jalen Milroe Joins The Gary Harris Show

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe continues to do the media tour this offseason, spending last week in New York City. Fall practice starts Wednesday, July 31, and while Milroe will continue doing media appearances, he'll focus on the University of Alabama when practice does start.

Get our free mobile app

On one of his last days before camp, Milroe stopped by Tide 100.9 and did a quick interview in person with Gary Harris, where he discussed the wide receivers in Alabama's room.

Alabama's wide receiver room is replacing 74.4% of its production last season, with Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack residing in Austin, Texas, and Jermaine Burton off to the NFL as a boost to Alabama's "WRU" claim.

Additionally, Ja'Corey Brooks and Malik Benson transferred to Louisville and Florida State respectively.

The depth took another hit during spring practice when Jalen Hale was ruled out for the foreseeable future with a lower-body injury.

Alabama's wide receiver core does not feature an established superstar, but there are a handful of players that could step up - Germie Bernard, Kobe Prentice, Ryan Williams, Caleb Odom, etc.

The core of receivers has Jalen Milroe confident in his group this season, "One thing I can say is we’re going to be very explosive on offense, and we have a lot of guys in that room that are very talented,” Milroe said in an interview with Gary Harris on Tide 100.9. “And I truly believe that we have more talent this year than we did last year.”

Milroe highlighted the receivers for their bond and communication this offseason. He credited first-year wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shephard with the positive momentum - that followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama.

“You’ve got to start with the leadership,” Milroe said. “Coach Shephard, the receivers coach. He’s awesome, very awesome. The attention to detail, pushing excellence from the guys, and ultimately not accepting mediocrity is very important, and no matter your age, how long you’ve been in the program, no matter what you can be held accountable, and that’s hailed from our leader in Coach Shephard.”

Fans have their thoughts on who will step up for the Crimson Tide. One popular name is freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams - who recorded 1,320 receiving yards, 19 touchdowns, and 269 rushing yards last season for Saraland High School. Williams reclassified to the 2024 class to enroll at Alabama early, so it might take some time for him to replicate those numbers at the college level. Milroe, however, says the five-star freshman is ahead of the normal curve.

“I can say this about Ryan Williams, he’s prepared, he’s ready to go,” Milroe said. ‘He’s a guy that came in the summertime. The mentality of the guy is very important beyond anything it’s how he approaches the game. Very confident player, very fast. He is appreciated by all the guys on the team."

“We just love the constant growth from him just in this short period of time, and you’ve got to look at and acknowledge that this guy just graduated early, and this is a kid in a sense but he came in with a great mindset, very passionate. He has goals set for himself and that’s what we see from him. It’s awesome to see and be around him because he’s a special kid and he’s going to be a key resource for us this year.”

It might take Williams some time to replicate his high school numbers, but he's got the talent to do so, and if he does, it won't be a shock to those who saw him in high school.

Alabama opens preseason camp on Wednesday, one full month before they take the field on Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.