Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe declares for NFL draft

FILE – Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has declared for the upcoming NFL draft, following the team’s loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday.

Milroe was starting quarterback for Alabama for two seasons — Coach Nick Saban’s final season and Coach Kalen DeBoer’s first. The Crimson Tide finished this year’s season at 9-4, with losses not only to Michigan, but to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

“To my teammates, my brothers, thank you for the blood, sweat, and tears we’ve shared,” Milroe wrote in his announcement on social media. “The bonds we’ve built will last a lifetime. To Coach (Nick) Saban, thank you for believing in me and instilling the standard of excellence in me. To Coach (Kalen) DeBoer, thank you for challenging me and helping me grow into the player and leader I am today.

“To the entire Alabama family, thank you for embracing a kid from Texas and allowing me the honor of wearing the script ‘A’. Representing this university has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”