We are in game week, everybody. It is week one of the college football season and week one of the Heisman Trophy race. Of course, last weekend we had four games, including Florida State and Georgia Tech in Dublin. By the way, the Heisman Trophy took its first trip overseas and, uh, enjoyed a little bit of the Blarney Stone and maybe some Guinness.

Uh in the meantime, we are looking ahead to this coming weekend Where a huge slate of games is on tap and so fittingly we've got a great show lined up for you today Leading off the show is quarterback. Jalen Milroe of the Alabama Crimson Tide one of the leading heisman contenders heading into this season He's gonna share with us what it's like going from Nick Saban  And to shed a little more light on that topic, we're going to talk to Michael Rodak, who covers Alabama for 247sports.com. And then later on in the show, we're going to talk a little bit about what it's like to replace a Heisman Trophy winner. We're in a somewhat rare situation. We have two Heisman Trophy winners being replaced. Jaden Daniels is being replaced by Garrett Nussmeier over at LSU, and USC's Caleb Williams is being replaced by Miller Moss.

Interestingly enough, they will both be playing each other in Las Vegas on Sunday. So we had a chance to talk to Miller Moss and ask him, "What it's like to replace a Heisman Trophy winner?" 

A couple news items before we bring on our first guest, Archie Griffin, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first of his back to back Heisman wins, visited newly minted Big Ten territory in Pasadena, California recently, where the Rose Bowl unveiled a statue of the Ohio State legend outside the stadium.

The event was sponsored by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, and Griffin's statue, which sits outside Tunnel 28, is near to what will be a new Legends Walk inside the stadium's gates, That will feature the 19 Heisman Trophy winners who have played in the Rose Bowl game Definitely a long overdue honor for our only two time Heisman Trophy winner. So for those of you going over to the Rose Bowl soon be sure to check it out. If you get a chance to take a picture with it be sure to tag us at Heisman Trophy on social media And just one little small item about Reggie Bush who of course recently returned to the Heisman fold. The Heisman House has unveiled its new portrait of Reggie, which of course will be hung along with all the other Heisman winners.

So if you come across the Heisman House on campus this year, be sure to check it out. 

I don't know about you guys, but I am ready for some college football. It all starts on Thursday. Uh, tomorrow, if you are listening to this, on Wednesday. What games are you guys looking forward to the most? For me, I'm looking at North Carolina at Minnesota. Kind of an intriguing matchup on Thursday night.

There's TCU at Stanford. Stanford of the ACC on Friday night. You got Clemson at Georgia to kick things off on Saturday at noon on ABC. We'll see you then. You got Penn State at West Virginia, Miami at Florida, a rare occurrence of Miami playing Florida. This is the first time they played since 2019. Of course, they used to be yearly rivals back in the 80s.

Notre Dame goes to Texas A& M in what should be a really interesting matchup. The defending national champion Michigan Wolverines host Fresno State, curious to see how they will win. And then of course the aforementioned USC LSU matchup. in Las Vegas, and then Florida State hosts Boston College on Monday.

The Seminoles have already played two games. Has any team in the history of college football played two games before September 3rd?  I'm curious. 

Our guest today, junior Jalen Milroe, is the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Last season as a first year sophomore starter, he led Alabama to the college football playoff. Along the way, he accumulated over 2, 800 yards passing, 23 touchdowns, while rushing for another 531 yards and 12 scores.

He got better as the year went on and produced one of the most memorable moments in school history With the remarkable game winning score on 4th and 31 in the iron bowl against auburn Followed by a signature win in the sec title game versus georgia. He finished six on the heisman vote last year He's a leading returning vote getter Enters this season as one of the favorites for the trophy and the tide Open with western kentucky on saturday.

Jalen, welcome to the official heisman trophy podcast once again.  

How you doing? I appreciate you for having me on. 

Good to see you again. You and the Crimson Tide are embarking on a new era this season. What everyone out here is wondering, it's talk of college football, is how has the transition been? for you and your teammates going from the Nick Saban era to the new era under Kalen DeBoer.

No, absolutely. Um, it's been a long offseason. Um, but for all of us, all we want to do is break the offseason down into four pieces. And that was, that's what ultimately, you know, catapult us to get to right now. Which is now the season time is bringing into the, you know, four stages. So the four stages are fourth quarter program.

That's the first, you know, adversity piece that we were introduced as a group. Um, it's our conditioning period and that's the transition from, you know, our past swing, 23 team now. So 2014  is having an off season period and, you know, figure out who's our leaders, you know, who's going to speak up, you know, who's going to lead us, you know, during this, during this time and styles initial, you know, uh, burst of our, uh, off season program.

Then you transition to spring ball one. And that was very important because now you have a new OC, new head coach, new DC. And these are guys that are implementing their system. And so it's all about, you know, getting comfortable, you know, figure out something that we're great at, figure out some things that we're weak at.

And so from that period of time and having those scrimmages, having those practices, then you branch into summer one, you know, summer, summer period. Now you. Now you figure out, all right, let's recap spring ball. There's some things that we did really great at, with some things we didn't work on. And then, boom, summer one, summer two, um, you have all this, you know, implemented into the program.

But with that, you know, with that period of off season, there's no shot clock. And so during that time, you can really, you know, master whatever you need to get better at, and just take it day by day. And ultimately, it's going to push us to be successful, um, for whenever we need to play another opponent.  At what point in one of those four segments did you guys really start to feel like, hey, this is You know, things are starting to really come together.

I'll say for us, you know, I think one thing that we have to have as a start mindset is all always look and then try to improve, seek all information from our coaches and from our teammates. And so I'll say when it truly clicked, I'll say, you know, once everyone's confident, Once everyone's confident, that's when you play at an elite level, and that's something I've seen from the guys right now, is that they switch the gears from being in part to now we're steadily going, you know, we're steadily pushing through adversity, pushing through all phases of offense in this, so that's going to catapult us to reaching all that we want to want to do.

And so, um, everything that we do, we're trying to be detail oriented. be ball dominant, um, and try to master every area, um, of the game, which is being explosive. So, um, I say, I say that we definitely open our eyes to that. And it's been great to have the coaches that we have right now because they're going to push us.

You were a team captain last year. So it seems like Deborah Relata knew a lot in the off season. What were those early one on one meetings with him? Like,  I'll say, One thing that was awesome that he opened his heart. And so during this period of time, I really got to know him and built a great relationship with him.

You know, it's nothing greater than a head coach and quarterback relationship. And so to have that experience and have this opportunity with him has only got me better as a leader and as a quarterback. And so, um, I'm, I'm steadily gonna be leaning on him through this process. You know, as we go through the season and as we embark on, you know, this journey that we're gonna be on.

Uh, I think it's been very, very important. And so, um, I learned a lot on the coast of war and, you know, I'm steadily learning, um, with him. And so I think that what's best for anybody is just try to be, um, a sponge for all information.  Uh, obviously Nick Saban's a legend, seven national titles. But as a quarterback, you had to be, he was always a defensive guy, right?

But as a quarterback, you had to be a little bit like tickled, uh, to know that the new coach is basically a guy known for, for breeding quarterbacks. What do you think about that? No, absolutely. Um, so in that perspective,  you got to think this guy coach, coach Saban is defensive minded coach. So.  If you flip gears and you try to seek information, you try to say, all right, what are some things that you see in a defensive end that is trying to stop the offense so that we can have negative plays and aren't successful.

All right. And so for me, that's the kind of things that I try to learn is maybe, you know, whether it's the quarterback's eyes, what are some things that you should do, try to hold the, near safety. Um, and little things like that. And I'll say, you know, um, have a defensive minded head coach. Every practice was intense.

You know, it was a game filling every, every practice was felt like a game because of how great our defense was when it came to details and it came to preparation and, you know, Of course, being led by Coach Saban. And so, you know, of course, you know, everything, you know, looking outside in is the deepest head coach, but you got to look at it in a quarterback perspective that has been awesome because it just got me better. 

What are some of the main differences between last year's offensive scheme and this year's? Are we going to see you air it out more? Was it easier to learn?  I'll say, um,  I think we're not one dimensional. We have so many elements of our game that's going to be hard to stop for our defense.  Um, looking at the receiver room, every one of them.

Are unique in their own way. We have different sides. We have different speed. We have different traits that make them special. Everybody different. No one plays the same. You have that in the room. Okay. Then transition to our office and line room. They're very talented. They're very flexible, unique. They all can play all different positions.

Our center can place guard or guard can place center. Um, tackle can play left, right. So like, they're very flexible. Um, looking at our tight end room, they're not just a, Um, a blocking tight end, they can catch and be utilized in the passing game. Running backs as well, um, they all are unique, um, with guys that can be utilized in the passing game and running game.

Then, um, at the quarter position, you know, it's not one area that we're going to just focus at, you know, we can do all elements of the game. So, I'll say to answer your question, I think we're just, um, multi dimensional in what we can do on offense, so I believe that's going to be hard for defense coordinators. 

How would you compare your passing ability now? to how you were at the end of last season. And what's the one thing that DeBoer and coach Sheridan stressed to you as they installed this new offense? Number one, they believe in me. Um, that's something that they emphasize each and every day that they believe in me and understand, um, me as a player, um, how I play.

Um, I think one thing is that every player is unique in their own way. Um, every player doesn't need to play like someone else and that's okay. And that's something that's been emphasized. And, um, when it comes to this period of off season, you can branch into a positive, what, some things I like dislike, um, as far as, um, um, installing plays and stuff like that, but one thing I can say, you know, um, as we.

continue to move forward. It's gonna be very important for the confidence of each player in the room. And so speaking, you know, myself and that's something that I have with the coach that it just confident. I mean, so I think that's the biggest thing for last year in this year is that as we're moving forward with this process is all about doing things that's gonna help and be beneficial for the whole offense as a whole and coach saving.

I gotta use this analogy, man. He said, be a point guard with the football, distributed balls to playmakers and allowed them to make explosive plays. You simplify it that way, you know, that makes the job at the quarterback much easier. Um, And so that's what I try to do as much as possible  You got a bunch of young guys stepping into some new roles on the offense.

How are they adjusting to the new scheme? And who do you think will be a breakout player for the Crimson Tide? Absolutely. You know, um, with that, I try to do as much as reflecting and I remember coming into college and realizing, you know, where you need to, um, as far as taking a game next, you know, game two and, uh, you know, trying to, you know, trying to figure out the ways, some of that around, but what I can say about the young guys is that  the veteran crew, that's in each of the rooms have done a really good job influencing those guys in a positive way.

Um, we have great leaders of coaches that demand excellence, the big on details. And so when you have that, you want to have that relentless pursuit of continuous improvement that coast aboard emphasized to our team each and every day. And so I'll say, you know, that's something that's gonna be very important for us.

And for the young guys, you know, cause we have some guys that want to make some plays this year. And, um, it came from the off season grind, you know, that's some stuff that has been done in the dark that comes to shine on Saturdays and it's all come from the off season. So, um, you know, we have a lot of guys that's young, that's going to be stepping into roles that.

Are considered a veteran role, but I say, you know, once you take your first nap, you consider a veteran and now, um, you just get acclimated to a new environment.  It's such an interesting situation to go from a hall of fame coach to obviously a very good coach, but with different styles. And so you have some guys in the team that are obviously Brought in under the old, um, crew.

And then you got guys who were brought in under the new group and, and, and then guys maybe who weren't with coach Saban as long, and so maybe the imprint isn't as strong. And so I'm really curious is what is the personality of this team? Is it going to be a hybrid of, of Saban and DeBoer? Uh, you know, like represent kind of, you kind of represent the, you know, the continuation of Saban, you know, as a team captain, as a quarterback,  Are we going to see a unique hybrid there?

I said, there's two areas of this team that is going to be displayed when we go on the Saturdays. Number one is that we love football. We reflect on why we play the game. This is a child game that we played for a very long time. And it has been reemphasized to all of us that we're supposed to have fun.

That's something that I see outside looking in is that we really have fun playing the game of football. That's number one. Number two is that we really like each other. We love each other and that's something that is so hard to stop is when you stop a family, you know, forget about me. I love you is the acronym that we try to use as much as possible at Alabama.

And we had, we call it the Bama family, you know, um, the Bama leaf. And so that's something that is so hard to stop is a team, you know, and that's something that we try not to, um, you know,  You know, I try to use the pencil analogy as much as possible. I gave you one pencil. You can snap it really, really quick.

The more pencils I give you, the more and more and more pencils can be hard to stop and hard to crack because of the bond, the strong connection of a foundation of a family. And that's something that is going to be emphasized as much as possible as we move forward, because there's going to be a point where we have to go play on the road.

Where it's going to be a crowd that's going to be against us. So maybe a point down the road where we're going to need the offense to step up. We need a point where even these step up a point where the special team to step up and where it all falls down into is team team and just reflecting on us.

Right. That's a really interesting. You had a very busy off season. You're featured on the new EA college football, a video game.  You took a trip to New York City and met a Yankee, Aaron Judge, and exchanged some gifts. Tell us how that particular trip came about and what it was like hanging in the Big Apple with Judge. 

Absolutely. That was my first time in New York. Um, what a great experience, you know, to be able to,  Um, be able to go to New York. You know, I, I be, I believe that football is a beautiful vehicle that allows you to expand your horizon in a sense of meeting baseball players. Um, going see New York, you know, meeting a lot of great people along the way.

Uh, I was able to meet Michael Jordan this, this off season, like so yeah, football is a beautiful vehicle. I gotta . Did he know, did he know who you were? Did he know who you were as he following your career? Yeah, he did. Yeah, he did. So I made it even cooler. Yeah, I was, I was, that was awesome. That's really cool.

And so, yeah, it was, it was awesome, you know, to have that opportunity, but you know, to speak on the New York trip, um, it was, it was awesome, you know, to have that, you know, be able to be an ambassador for the university of Alabama, because that's my biggest goal, just to speak, um, all the great things that the university provides for us as student athletes.

Where do you keep your bat that he gave you?  Oh, it's upstairs.  No one can touch it. Last year, I talked to you and you said the slogan for the team was let all naysayers know. Is that still your mindset? Or is this a different Jalen Milroe with a different approach?  I'll say. It's the same motto. Um, because no matter if you're doing something right or doing something wrong, there's always better.

There's always something that you can try to improve on. And so with that motto, it's just something that just implemented where you can't get complacent. You always got to push forward. And so whenever you think you're doing something positive, doing something great, it's always room to grow. So, um, that motto still still is certain.

It's something that's just going to be implemented as you try to go in this process of being successful. Right. Well, Jalen Milrose, starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  We wish you luck the rest of the season going into your junior season. Western Kentucky coming up next Saturday, and maybe we'll see you down the road.

Who knows? Maybe in New York.  Appreciate you for your time. Thank you. This is Archie Griffin, 

1974 1975 Heisman Trophy winner, and you're listening to the official Heisman Podcast.  The Heisman is handed out every December, but the history of the trophy lives year round at Heisman. com. Home to the most iconic trophy in sports, Heisman. com tells the stories of all 88 of our winners and features news, bios, and statistics on all your favorite Heisman heroes.

Heisman. com also highlights our Heisman Humanitarians, the many charities supported by the Heisman Trust, and so much more. Make Heisman. com your first stop for all things Heisman. Mike Rodak has covered Alabama athletics since 2019. He's been a part of Bama247. com since 2023. He previously covered Alabama for AL.

com, the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. com, and the New England Patriots.  Mike, thanks for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast. Thanks for having me. Mike, we just talked to Jalen Milroe about the transition that's happening with his team in the Kalen DeBoer era. What has it been like covering the program since Nick Saban left?

And what have been some of the key differences in their, their approaches of those two coaches? Oh yeah, it's, it's been different. Um, you know, Nick Saban. Very much an old school sort of coach, you know, who, um, had his, his way of doing things and his way of winning, which obviously was proven over a very long time, um, but was probably rooted in, you know, his upbringing and as a young coach in the seventies and, um, you know, things have changed since then.

And I think, uh, you know, Caitlin DeBoer came in as a coach who's 23 years younger. Um, You know, has certainly a different outlook on how to approach players. And, um, you know, it's probably more of a players friendly coach. It's, you know, kind of an all encompassing term, but, um, it's something that even Jalen himself has talked about just, you know, the opportunity to.

Kaelin DeBoer's phone number, you know, players didn't really have that opportunity with Nick Saban. It was a lot more formal. Um, you had to set a time to meet with him, go to his office and you weren't texting Kaelin DeBoer, uh, or you weren't texting Nick Saban. You are texting Kaelin DeBoer and, um, even Snapchatting.

I know one player has mentioned that he has Snapchat and, uh, he's, he's connected with his coach that way. So, you know, it's, it's, uh, Different vibe around the building. I think a little bit more relaxed is probably a fair way of putting it. You know, I think Nick Saban, um, you know, was very intense in terms of what you needed to do on a day to day basis.

And he himself was very detail oriented and  Very routine oriented. And, um, you know, Cailin DeBoer, I think is obviously hardworking, successful coach himself, but, uh, there's just a little bit more of a relaxed vibe around the building is, is another thing I'd mentioned. Yeah. Interesting. Uh, Milrose seems like he's kind of the unquestioned leader of this team. 

Almost like an extension of Saban out there, almost like a legacy, many Saban out there. From the perspective of someone who's around the program all the time. Yeah. What are people saying about Jalen heading into this year?  Certainly a guy who's there every single morning at four o'clock, four 30. Um, it's, it's kind of a running joke that nobody can beat him into the building.

Um, and that's, I think, uh, a product of his upbringing. You know, he, he comes from a, a military family, you know, with his father being in the military. And I think, um, you know, he is a very routine oriented guy himself, where he wants to be in the facility. He wants to be the first one there. He wants to  make football the most important thing.

And, you know, he's not someone who I think coaches have to worry about, um, you know, being on time and doing the right things. So, uh, that's that's really where it starts. And I think when you do that, you obviously earn a lot of respect, you know, from your teammates and, um, you know, your teammates know that you're You're there and doing things and trying to help the team all the time.

So, uh, that's a big part of it. But, you know, as a guy that I think, you know, does meditation, um, you know, he has a kind of routine. He mentioned one time where he'll go in the shower and he'll switch between HUD and cold water just as a mental, um, sort of, uh, challenge for him to deal with those changes.

And so. He's, he's very locked into what he wants to do and how he wants to get better. And, um, again, there's, there's not a whole lot of outside distraction with him. And that's been a good thing. And I think he's earned a lot of respect of his, of his teammates. He was a captain last season, uh, with the old system for Nick Saban.

When you get voted after the season. As a captain. And he's already voted a captain this year, uh, with Cailin DeBoer coming in and doing that before the season. So a two time, uh, captain at Alabama, which by itself is, is a pretty big accomplishment. Yeah. And then still only a junior, uh, sounds like he's kind of a mad scientist as a quarterback, uh, in the lab, uh, working on all kinds of things.

There's obviously been a big shift from a defensive minded program to offense, which is a side of the ball that historically  Alabama has always, uh, kind of, it's not been the primary focus for Alabama offense. It's always been defense first.  So I'm curious how Alabama is handling this institutionally. It can often be the case in college football that when a school does something a certain way for so long, People get used to it.

And so when changes happen, you often get pushback. Has that been the case at Alabama?  Yeah. You know, I think there, there's a couple of different ways of looking at that. I think there's a lot of new players around. Um, obviously when Nick Saban left the transfer portal open and a good amount of players left, uh, some players had left even before he retired.

And, um, there was about a dozen players that Kaitlin DeBoer brought in as transfers. You add that to the freshmen class that, that came in and, um, there's a lot of new faces anyway, uh, that may not be used to. Uh, the Saban way of doing things. Um, and so you're, you're working with a clean slate there anyway, but the players who stayed, um, and who really, um, embrace Kalen DeBoer as, as the new man in charge in Alabama, I think fully bought into his, his system and what, uh, his philosophies are.

And Jalen Miller was. Leading the charge, um, among those players. I think that first night that Kaylin DeBoer arrived on campus, January 12th at nine o'clock and his plane landed. And, uh, he had a players only meeting in the building. Jalen Miller was filmed walking into the building and somebody yelled, like, are you going into the portal or something along the lines?

And no, he said, I'm staying first night. He was already, uh, you know, kind of sticking with Alabama and him and Tyler Booker, the guard and Malachi Moore, the safety, uh, are really the big three players that I think held that locker room together and really got players on board with Kalen DeBoer. And, you know, he brought in most of his own coaches and, um, personnel staff.

So again, there's, there's a lot of people in the building that  don't necessarily have that connection to Nick Saban. Um, you know, and that I think probably to some degree helps in the transition as well.  Have you been able to see the offense at all? I don't know how open the practices are. Maybe you've seen the scrimmages. 

Yeah, it's a little bit more open than the last few years of the Saban era, where we did have an open practice, um, a fan day practice. The scrimmages were still closed, but Um, you know, overall, I think it's an offense that obviously Caitlin DeBoer, you know, brings, um, you know, one of the best offenses in college football.

It's, it's going to be a pro style offense with a lot of motions, a lot of shifts. He's, he's going to do a lot of things to try to catch the defense off guard. Um, and where Jalen Mower exactly fits into that. I think we're going to have to wait and see until the first game. Um, I don't think he's going to try to do.

What he did with Michael Penix at Washington and just copy and paste that and try to do that with Jalen Murrow. I think he's going to try to adjust to some of Jalen's strengths and that's probably going to be a little bit more of the design running game. It's, it's going to be a little bit different.

Um, but overall, I think the offense is, is going to be a little bit more wide open than what we saw last year. Um, and probably a little bit more passing oriented.  How long do you think it will take for them to kind of get their sea legs in this new scheme? That's a great question. And I think these first two games are  good for Alabama, you know, with the coaching change where they're at home, you know, they're not against power conference opponents.

And there was a time there when Alabama typically opened with that neutral site game on the road, um, you know, against the USC or, um, you know, there's some, some pretty big opponents over the years. In this case, you're looking at Western Kentucky and South Florida, you know, two manageable opponents. I think you can get adjusted to the new system over those first two weeks, but then you have to go to Wisconsin and that's going to be a tough environment, um, you know, with the, uh, the crowd, but also trying to adjust to. 

You know, with the coaches being able to talk to the quarterbacks, that's gonna be a change and we'll just have to see, you know, Jalen's dealing with a new system, a new playbook, a new offensive coordinator, Nick Sheridan, um, who will be calling the plays and not Kaelin DeBoer. Some new pieces along the offensive line, a new center, uh, that at times last year was an issue, you know, it was the center.

So, um, and then a couple of new receivers as well. So expect all of that to look like the final product in week one or week two or week three, um, is, is probably asking a lot, but I think that Wisconsin game will be a big indication of where this team is at.  What's the buzz on Millrow as a passer? Do you, has there been some marked improvement?

Do you think when it comes to his accuracy? And just touch. I think so. Yeah. That's something that, that Caelan DeBoer has mentioned where, um, it's not just hitting the home runs. And, and this offense was probably a little bit more home run oriented last year, where you look at Jalen Milroe's stats and, you know, the passing efficiency was top five in the country.

And, uh, a lot of that is probably because of the yards per catch and the yards per attempt were pretty high because when he was hitting on those deep balls, he was hitting. Um, but some of that intermediate shorter passing game, wasn't always there. And I think Caelan DeBoer wants that to be there in his offense.

I think that's in an ideal world what he wants to have. So, um, yeah, I think there's been a learning curve there in just getting used to all the reads and the checks that he needs to go through there. But, um, I think the signs have been, you know, pretty positive through camp so far. Again, we haven't seen a ton with our own eyes, um, but I do think there's been Strides made, you know, with Jay LuMero and just have to see again, week one, when, you know, the lights are on and everybody's watching just how far exactly they have come in that area.

Yeah. You know, it's with all the changes, um, going on both with Alabama and college football in general, what's the mindset of this Alabama fan base now going into this new era? I mean, you have guys probably on your message boards who, who has spent their whole lives with Nick Saban at Alabama almost.

And so, so it's a big change. And I'm, I'm really curious. I haven't been on the boards. I'm really curious as to what are the, what are, what's foremost on their minds right now? I think it's a, it's a cautious optimism. You know, I think people understand that when you lose a coach of, of Nick Saban stature, that just to expect everything to be exactly the same is, is expecting a lot, but I do think people have really bought into Kalen DeVore.

I, what I think has probably helped him the most is his recruiting success. Over the summer. Um, not that that necessarily helps him on the field in 2024, but just his ability to attract  what is, you know, borderline number one class in the country. I think it's number two on our site for 2025. I think signals to people that he knows what he's doing.

Um, and so that that certainly helps. Um, I think the track record of him winning. wherever he's been, whether it's been in N. A. I. A. With Sioux Falls or, you know, going to Fresno, going to Washington. I think that that track record makes people confident. Um, but it's at the end of the day, it's a change and people, uh, yeah, you're right.

There's a lot of people who only remember Nick Saban because he was here for 17 years and he grew up, you know, entire generation of fans grew up around him and the University of Alabama. Basically doubled in enrollment. I mean, he meant so much to this place. Um, but there's also fans who remember the pre Nick Saban era, um, and kind of the parade of coaches they had then.

So they know that if Nick Saban is not here, it, it may not look exactly the same. Um, especially in a, an expanded sec. So, uh, cautious optimism is how I put it, but I think  One of the contributing factors that makes people feel good is that there's a 12 team playoff. And so they don't feel like they have that pressure to go out and beat georgia and win an sec championship Just to make the playoff It might have a little bit of runway here where just get into the playoff and kind of see what happens in year one Yeah, you certainly have to like uh the concept of This team getting better as the season goes on and peaking once the playoff comes So a lot to hope for for uh, alabama fans.

Mike rodek. Thanks for coming on The official has been trophy podcast great illuminating conversation about this year's squad at alabama as well as jaylen Milroe We appreciate your input. You got it. Thanks for having me on. Thank you. Hey, college football fans. You don't need to throw for over 4, 000 yards or rush for 2, 000 yards to attend the Heisman Gala.

That's the annual celebration in New York to honor the Heisman trophy winner the day after the announcement. Tickets to the gala are open to the public and will go on sale soon. So be sure to keep checking at Heisman. com for information on how to secure your seat and witness Heisman history. 

When LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier takes the field against USC on September 1st. He'll have some big shoes to fill. So will his opponent across the way, USC quarterback Miller Moss. As circumstances would have it, both quarterbacks have been tabbed to replace Heisman Trophy winners. Nussmeier takes over for last year's winner, Jaden Daniels, while Moss steps in for 2022 winner, Caleb Williams.

It's quite the coincidence that both these quarterbacks will be playing against each other. Talk about pressure. It's not easy taking over for a college football legend, so it's understandable that, over the years, some have handled it better than others. Three Heisman replacements did manage to win a national title in their first year taking over as a starter.

Steve Walsh took over for Vinny Testaverde in 1987. And Miami won the national title.  Ricky Waters took over for Tim Brown in 1988. Waters had come to Notre Dame as a running back, but Irish coach Lou Holtz moved him to Flanker in the hopes of getting that passing attack going. Which didn't really happen, but the Irish won the national title anyway.

So in back to back seasons in the 1980s, a Heisman replacement helped his team win the national title. And then the most recent example came in 2003,  when Matt Leinart took over for Carson Palmer and led USC to a national championship. But in the annals of Heisman history, there has only been one player who has replaced a Heisman trophy winner and won the Heisman himself the next year, and that is Kyler Murray of Oklahoma in 2018.

Remarkably, that feat was almost repeated the following year when Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma finished second in the Heisman race to Joe Burrow. But going back to 1960, when most of our stats are still pretty good, It's been exceedingly rare for a Heisman trophy replacement to even come close to what his predecessor did.

Just a handful of players have been able to finish in the top six of the Heisman vote following their predecessor winning the Heisman. Leinert finished sixth as a sophomore in 2003. David Klingler of Houston followed up Andre Ware's win with a fifth place finish in 1990. Alabama's Trent Richardson replaced Mark Ingram in 2011 and promptly finished third in the Heisman vote.

And Jalen Milroe finished sixth last year while taking over for Bryce Young. So bringing it back to the present day, I was curious how both Moss and Nussmeier would handle the situation. The timing wasn't right to bring Nesmeyer on, but we were able to bring on Miller Moss, and here's that conversation.

Miller, thanks for coming on the show. Yes, sir. Thank you so much for having me. First off, congrats on being named USC's starter. Uh, how excited are you to finally take the reins of a program that you've been following since you were a kid? Yeah, thank you so much. Um, I mean, I'm extremely excited. It's obviously a tremendous honor, um, and something I've been working towards for a long time.

I think the most important thing now is just to stay focused on the steps we have to take to go win football games and not get, you know, Caught up and smell the roses or anything like that. So I'm excited, but also more excited. I should say about the opportunity we have coming up. We're bringing you on today because we're talking about players who have to replace Heisman Trophy winners.

You're replacing a Heisman winner in Caleb Williams. It's never an easy task.  Coach Riley has been through this before with Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts. What's it been like to follow in such big footsteps? And what's the pressure like? Yeah, I mean, Cale was obviously a tremendous player and a tremendous talent.

I think. Um. Everyone's very appreciative of what he did for for the school, you know, but I think for me in terms of my process, I don't think it's necessarily healthy to say, Oh, like I have to play to this standard. I have to to fill these shoes. I think as long as I continue to be diligent about my process and the things that I have to do as a player and play my game that I think we'll have success from observing Caleb and even talking to him.

What did you learn from him about how to handle the position, how to handle  being in your role and what might you do differently than what he did? Yeah, I mean, I think one thing that I'll always take away from Caleb is his supreme confidence, you know, Confidence is so so essential playing the quarterback position  It's such a huge part of how you approach and I think no matter what if Caleb had kind of an off day of practice Or if he went out and threw For 500 yards and five touchdowns.

He was the same guy each and every day So I think that's something that I'll always take away from Caleb  And I think I mean honestly every quarterback should but that's one thing that I always really admired that he did  Um, and I'll definitely try to try to embody going forward. No, no nail work for you?

No, that's, that's not my thing. But you know, I mean, he did it for, for a good purpose. Um, it, uh, it went back to, to, you know, supporting his mom and stuff like that. So, um, yeah, it's not my thing, but, um, but yeah, I guess that's something I would do differently. Matt Leiter was in a similar position as you in 2003, replacing Carson Palmer, who won the Heisman in 2002.

And while he didn't win the Heisman right away, he did lead his team to a national title. So setting aside That you obviously want to win as many games as possible. What does success look like for you as a quarterback this year?  Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, I think the the expectation is always to win at USC, but I think me personally, um  If I can just stay even keeled week to week and really stay true to who I am as a player, that's what Coach Riley really challenges me on, you know, week to week and has done throughout the offseason.

So I think if I'm able to do that, then I'll, I'll put myself in a position to be successful. I think if I, if I stay process oriented, um, and stay focused on those things, then the rest will take care of itself. So I think,  um, like I said, it's really important for me to focus on the process and not, not the end goal or anything like that.

And I think if I'm able to do so, then, um, like I said, we'll have success.  Now that you've officially been named the starter, what's changed in your life? How is it handling all the extra media requests and all these other demands on your time? Um, yeah, I mean, it's, it's obviously different. Um, I think there's a time and place for that, obviously, but I think, like I said, it's not the most important thing.

And I think as long as you're able to maintain that, that balance and that understanding that yes, um,  there's a responsibility and that stuff is nice and fun. And if it.  Makes other people happy, then that's awesome. But I think it's really important to maintain perspective  and understand what we're really trying to do at the end of the day. 

Garrett Nussmeyer of LSE was also replacing a Heisman winner. So it's kind of a rare situation. Your two teams will be going against each other soon. What's the attitude of your team heading into this one? Yeah, I mean, I think when you when you're playing such a quality opponent week one, it really sets the stage for the offseason.

I think we've had a really focused offseason starting in winter, going all the way through spring, summer, and then obviously just finishing up a training camp. So, um, I mean, that's why you come to USC to play in these games. Um, obviously, like I said, LSU is a very, very quality opponent. We're excited to, you know, to take that stage.

Has Coach Riley given you any special advice knowing what you're going through filling up these shoes? No, I mean, I think it's, I'd kind of just echo what I said before. Um, the thing that he's really pushed and challenged me on is to just stay true to who you are as a player. Um, and I think if I'm able to continue to do that, then,  then we'll, we'll certainly be in position to, to win some football games.

Miller Moss, starting quarterback for the USC Trojans. Thank you for coming on the official Heisman Trophy podcast. Good luck against LSU. We hope to see you down the road. Yes, sir. Thank you so much for having me. 

Thanks so much for tuning into this week's official Heisman Trophy podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please take a moment to like, review and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Your support helps us reach more listeners just like you and keeps us motivated to bring you great content each week.

Don't forget to follow us on social media for updates, behind the scenes content, and more. Any other feedback or questions, just email us at pod at Heisman dot com. That's pod at Heisman dot com, or drop me a note on x dot com, at Heisman Pundit.  Did you know that the Heisman Trophy Trust has donated more than 20 million to a huge variety of charity based groups via its Heisman Trophy Fund for Youth Development?

That's right, the fund has helped countless charitable organizations that use sports to engage underprivileged young people in educational activities. If you are part of an organization, or know of one, that would like to apply for funding, visit Heisman. com and click on the charities link at the top of the site. 

And that'll do it for this week's show. Thanks to the University of Alabama for connecting us with Jaylen Milroe. Thanks to USC for connecting us with Miller Moss. Thanks again to Mike Brodak. And for some video clips of this episode, go over to our YouTube channel. There's all kinds of cool content over there, so be sure to check it out.

Coming up on next week's show, Boise State running back Ashton Gentee. Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden and NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach. See you then.  The official Heisman Trophy podcast streams every Wednesday during the college football season and is hosted, co produced, edited, and engineered by Chris Houston.

Paul Goldberg is the executive producer and editor. Special shout out to Isaac Lowenkron and big thanks to the Heisman Trophy Trust and its executive director, Rob Whalen and associate director, Tim Henning. The official Heisman Trophy podcast can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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