Jesse Minter is preparing for the task of facing Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. On Tuesday, he had the chance to speak to the media on the challenges that the Tide present for an opposing defense.

Minter talked plenty about the job Nick Saban and his coaching staff have done in developing Milroe as a QB throughout this season, as well as the QB’s overall ability:

“Jalen is a phenomenal athlete, first and foremost, a great football player,” Minter said. “He can do a lot, I really think they’ve settled into what he does really well over the course of a season, so give a lot of credit to (OC) Tommy Rees, Coach Saban and their coaching staff for kind of — You know, early in the year, anytime you have a new starter you kind of think you know what his strengths and weaknesses are. And then you get out there and play and play in the big games that they play in.”

Minter knows that his defense will be tested by Milroe’s athleticism, especially considering that they have not played a dual-threat QB like Milroe this season. He particularly pointed to the issues Milroe can cause with his legs when a play breaks down and the QB goes off-script.

“He’s an elite athlete, he’s an elite runner, but he’s really the quarterback. He throws the ball I think better than most people give him credit for,” Minter explained. “He’s made a lot of great plays on deep balls this year, and then he’s really capable of making that second play which a lot of times is the most dangerous to the defense… We’ve gotta play really disciplined, really together, really as one in a lot of the things we have to do.”

No. 1 Michigan and No. 4 Alabama will square off at 5:00 p.m. EST on New Year’s Day. The game can be seen on ESPN.