Boise State University running back Ashton Jeanty (middle) and University of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (right) and their fathers in front of a Black Hawk helicopter at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 2, 2025. (USAA)
Two NFL Draft prospects and their fathers connected back to their military roots ahead of this week’s draft.
The NFL’s annual recruitment event will select eligible college football players to join the professional football league in Green Bay, Wis., from Thursday to Saturday.
To celebrate the city of Green Bay hosting the NFL Draft for the first time, USAA brought Jalen Milroe, quarterback for the University of Alabama and Ashton Jeanty, running back for Boise State University, along with their fathers who are military veterans, to visit service members of the 128th Air Refueling Wing at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base in Milwaukee.
“I never want to forget where I came from,” Jeanty told Stars and Stripes in an email on Wednesday. “Having the chance to partner with USAA to visit with local military members before a historic day in Green Bay made for a surreal, full-circle moment for me and my dad.”
On April 2, the Jeanty and Milroe families toured the air base and saw KC-135 and F-35 aircraft as well as a Black Hawk helicopter. They also participated in a simulated flight experience of a KC-135 refueling an F-35 in-flight.
“Visiting the Wisconsin Air National Guard was a way of saying thank you to our military and to bring them along with me on this journey to the NFL,” Milroe told Stars and Stripes in an email on Thursday.
Jeanty’s father Harry, is a Navy veteran and Milroe’s father Quentin, is a Marine Corps veteran. During the visit, the Milroe and Jeanty families bonded over shared military experiences and connected well with the service members.
“The service members on base don’t often have these types of unique opportunities to rub shoulders with NFL talent, so it’s very exciting for them to get closer to the game they love,” Ike Isaacson, USAA Military Affairs Representative told Stars and Stripes in an email on Tuesday.
Jeanty is a coveted player in the NFL draft, and is known to be a top running back in the country. In 2024, the college junior was a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and received the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.
Milroe is considered one of the top “dual-threat” quarterbacks in the nation. He is a four-star recruit that has received back-to-back honors as a team captain for the Alabama Crimson Tides.
USAA and the NFL are Salute to Service partners committed to honoring service members, veterans and their families each season with exclusive access and once-in-a-lifetime experiences at various NFL-related events and programs. Last year, USAA hosted a similar base visit with NFL Draft prospects at the time — Los Angeles Chargers Joe Alt and Denver Broncos Bo Nix — to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan.
Boise State University running back Ashton Jeanty (left) and University of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (right) and their dads pose with airmen from the 128th Air Refueling Wing at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 2, 2025. (USAA)
