O’Brien didn’t want Milroe at QB – ‘Look where I’m at now. Who gets the last laugh?’

Alabama fans were never thrilled with former offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. On Thursday, we learned something that will underline that fact when this season is written into the history books.

During a Rose Bowl press event, Milroe shared that O’Brien wanted him to switch positions, telling him at the time he shouldn’t play quarterback. Milroe said this is just one — among many things — he uses for motivation.

Jalen Milroe on how it felt when Bill O’Brien told him he shouldn’t play quarterback for Alabama:

“Look where I’m at right now … So now, who gets the last laugh?” pic.twitter.com/K871MOfVrh

— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) December 28, 2023

When asked his reaction to O’Brien’s suggestion, Milroe didn’t mince words:

“How would you feel if I told you that you sucked?” Milroe asked the media member, who responded that they wouldn’t like it.

“Okay then, well that’s exactly how I felt. So the biggest thing to me is to be true to myself and stay the same. But nothing changed about me. The only thing that changed was that I got the opportunity and I seized it. So for me, the biggest thing was to stay true to myself and have a bigger purpose than anyone’s opinion,” Milroe stated.

He was also asked if there was a specific position O’Brien wanted him to switch to.

“He told me there was a bunch of positions I could have switched to. But look where I’m at right now. So who gets the last laugh?”

After two years coordinating Alabama’s offense, O’Brien left Alabama for a return to the NFL. In his place, Tommy Rees has stepped in and brought a fresh perspective to an Alabama offense that largely underachieved under O’Brien given the talent it had.

Milroe, Rees, and the entire Crimson Tide team will now turn its focus to the Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan this Monday afternoon, which may likely be the offense’s greatest challenge yet.