How much Jalen Milroe must improve depends on the Alabama Football defense

With Fall Camp at its midpoint, Alabama football fans are optimistic. That does not mean there are no questions and some doubt. After all, replacing the GOAT is no small challenge.

Expectations are high that Kalen DeBoer's offense and the Crimson Tide's offensive talent are a great fit. To the extent there are doubts about the new offense, most are centered on Jalen Milroe. The offense will require more of Milroe than explosive plays. DeBoer's complex offense must be driven by a QB who consistently makes correct, quick decisions while executing the offense through several playmakers.

Jalen Milroe was a good quarterback last season. He was fifth-best among all FBS quarterbacks with a QB rating of 172.17. He was tied for 24th-best in completion percentage at 65.8%. How much better must Milroe be in 2024? One point to consider is that DeBoer got Washington to the National Championship game with Michael Penix Jr. having a QB rating of 157.06 and a 65.4% completion percentage.

How much improvement will be needed from Milroe is largely a byproduct of the Crimson Tide schedule. There are five regular season games against CFB Playoff contenders. Since January, college football's conventional wisdom has been Alabama's transition will make the '24 team vulnerable to multiple regular season losses. If that perception is valid, Jalen Milroe might need to be considerably better than last season.

Another scenario is Alabama might not need significant improvement from Milroe if Kane Wommack's defense is better than last season. A rebuilt secondary will take time to develop, but Alabama's defense might perform better than the 19 points allowed per game last season.

Defensive excellence Crimson Tide fans dream about are the Nick Saban defenses from 2008 through 2017. During that period, Alabama had the No. 1, Scoring Defense four times; was No. 2 twice, No. 3 once, and No. 4 once. After the 2008 season, until 2018, Alabama dropped out of the top four in Scoring Defense just once; at No. 6 in 2014.

In Saban's last six seasons, Alabama had a Top 10 defense just once; No. 9 in 2022, allowing 18.2 points per game. Last season Alabama's average of 19 points was No. 16 in the FBS. The 19 points allowed average was almost identical to the 18.9-point average from Saban's last six defenses.

Will Kane Wommack make the Alabama Football Defense better?

Nothing but conjecture is available for any prediction. Based on talent, Alabama might have college football's deepest defensive roster. A reasonable guess is Alabama's less experienced defensive starters will be much improved by November. Until then, will the Crimson Tide have to prevail in shootouts against Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri? If so, Jalen Milroe might need to be more than just better than last season.

The good news about Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide is all summer and fall camp indications are Milroe has taken a step forward under DeBoer and Nick Sheridan.