Every Monday, we present “Tide Takes”, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Crimson Tide, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.

Alabama’s season ended in bitter disappointment in the first year of the Kalen DeBoer era. Not only from missing out on the College Football Playoff after three rough losses during the regular season, but also a bowl game performance against Michigan that was flat-out unacceptable.

While the defense came to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the offense certainly did not, and quarterback Jalen Milroe had what may have been his worst performance in an Alabama uniform. Even topping the losses to Oklahoma and Tennessee this season when the offense looked anemic.

Days later, Milroe declared for the NFL Draft and left Alabama in a spot where they are guaranteed to have a new quarterback next year. But after two seasons as QB1 for the Crimson Tide — how should Jalen Milroe’s legacy in Tuscaloosa be evaluated?

The short answer is: It’s complicated.

When Jalen Milroe got benched last season in the wake of a brutal performance against Texas which put Alabama on the brink of elimination from the playoff race just two weeks into the season, it looked like that would be it for him. But it became apparent the following week that Milroe was not only the best man for the job at the time, but the emotional leader of the team.

Coming back the following week, Milroe would help to lead the team to 11 consecutive victories including an Iron Bowl miracle and an SEC Championship victory over Georgia to put the Tide in the playoff. Seemingly improving every week, Milroe reached another gear before it all came crashing down in the Rose Bowl against a Michigan team which had the best defense in the country.

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But what he did in 2023 was enough for him to have a strong hold on the job even after DeBoer was hired. The hope was DeBoer would be able to develop Milroe as a passer, and he was not. As the season went on, it became more and more apparent that Milroe was simply not capable of leading a pass-first air it out type offense, and Alabama lost games as a result.

Understandably, Alabama fans became frustrated and wanted Milroe replaced, but DeBoer showed loyalty to him as Milroe showed loyalty to the program amidst the transition.

And that kind of encapsulates the type of player he was. Someone who absolutely loved Alabama, wanted more than anyone to see the team succeed, and yet unfortunately, just could not elevate his play enough to make that happen. Still, Milroe beat Georgia twice, beat Auburn twice, beat LSU twice, and helped to deliver some of the most memorable moments of Nick Saban’s final season in Tuscaloosa.

When debating the bad surrounding Milroe — and there certainly was a ton of it especially this season — the good needs to be considered as well.

You can wish Milroe well, acknowledge that he was someone who was a tremendous ambassador for the program and gave it his all every week, root for him in the future, but also acknowledge that it was time for him to move on and let DeBoer’s hand picked choice run his offense rather than trying to fit a square peg in a round hole once again with Milroe.

Both can be true.

When you consider Milroe’s legacy, nobody will fault you for pointing out the lows, but it would not be fair nor honest to not include the highs as well.