Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe announced on Thursday that he is declaring for this year's NFL Draft.

In an announcement on social media, Milroe thanked "my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," his family, teammates and "the entire Alabama family."

"Football has always been my passion, and since I was a kid, I dreamed of competing at the highest level. Through every win, every tough loss, and any criticism along the way, my love and dedication to this game has never wavered," Milroe wrote. "Each day, my gratitude for the opportunity to play this sport I love only grows stronger.

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"With that said, I am declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. Roll Tide forever!"

Milroe posted a career-high 2,844 passing yards in the 2024 season; his 726 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground this season were also the most he had with Alabama.

Milroe is not likely to be an early first-rounder, but it should not be much of a surprise if he does wind up being taken on the first night of the draft this April.

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His college career did not end on a high note as his Crimson Tide fell to Michigan, 19-13, in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Tuesday. 

In what seemed like déjà vu from the Rose Bowl the previous season, the Alabama offense was stopped by the Wolverines' defense on fourth down on the other side of the field. Milroe went 16-for-32 for 194 yards and ran for just four.

In all, Milroe played 38 games with Alabama, completing 64.3% of his passes for 6,016 yards, 45 touchdowns and 20 interceptions; on the ground, he ran for a total of 1,577 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Milroe figures to join a quarterback class that will feature Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. It remains to be seen what Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck will do.

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During his storied coaching career, Nick Saban rarely shied away from an opportunity to share his thoughts on college football-centric hot topics.

Saban and the rest of ESPN's "College GameDay" crew were in Indiana ahead of the 12-team College Football Playoff opener between Notre Dame and the Hoosiers. While the high-stakes game was the main topic during the pregame show, embattled Ohio State coach Ryan Day was also discussed.

Saban came to Day's defense and directed his ire at Buckeyes fans, suggesting they shoulder at least some of the blame for the cloud of negativity circling the program.

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Saban said the noise surrounding the program is a distraction to the coaches and players and also made it clear he respects Day and his program.

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"I think every coach has gotta define how he wants to do it, and I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day and how he’s tried to do it," Saban said. "For me, I always wanted to get every player in the organization to reach their full potential. It wasn't so much about the outcome, it was what you had to do to make everybody better.

"But a big part of that was insulating the players from external factors — criticism, internet. I used to tell the players all the time, ‘Why do you care about what some guy puts on the internet who’s a fat guy in his underwear living in his mother’s basement? Why do you care? Why does that mean anything to you? Why does that affect you in any way, shape or form? We should be focused on what we control and what we can do.’

"It’s the same thing for the fans. I would tell the fans the same thing. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they need to be positive about their coach and their players. There’s nobody that wants to beat them worse than the players and the coaches. That's No. 1. No. 2, they have an opportunity to win the national championship. Everybody ought to be supporting the hell out of them so that they have the best opportunity to do it and quit all this negative bulls---."

While Day has compiled a 66-10 record at Ohio State, his Buckeyes have lost four straight to the Michigan Wolverines.

Day's underwhelming results against Michigan have drawn criticism and raised concerns about the coach's job security. Day's focus is on the Buckeyes' upcoming game against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes host the Volunteers Saturday.

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