JALEN HURTS’ STORY OF RESILIENCE

KYLE LITTLE - Feb. 24, 2025

Jalen Hurts' journey is a testament to resilience. Time and time again, he’s faced moments that could have broken him, but instead, they fueled him. From the start of his college career to the biggest stage in football, Hurts has never backed down. His story isn’t just about talent; it’s about the will to keep going when the odds are stacked against him.

Hurts had been a talented enough prospect to earn a scholarship from Alabama, but he ranked No. 192 in his class—far lower than the more experienced players ahead of him on the depth chart. "I'm gonna make every one of them transfer," Locksley remembers Hurts saying. Hurts arrived at Alabama surrounded by those older quarterbacks, and he watched as, one by one, all three of them left.

Making an immediate impact, he became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Alabama since 1984. He remained the Tide's starter for the rest of the season, leading Alabama to an undefeated regular season, an SEC championship, and a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship game while winning SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

In the national title game, his team fell to Clemson in a 35-31 thriller, with Hurts completing just 13 of his 31 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while adding 63 rushing yards and another score. The following season, he again guided the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, where they advanced to the title game. With his team trailing the Bulldogs 13-0 at halftime, Saban made a switch at quarterback, putting freshman Tua Tagovailoa into the game and sending Hurts to the bench. Tagovailoa led Alabama to a 26-23 overtime victory, which included a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to end the game.

After his national championship heroics, Tagovailoa was the Crimson Tide's starter for the 2018 season, with Hurts still receiving snaps but serving in a backup role and coming into the game for certain packages.

In a bit of a reversal from the previous season, Hurts relieved an injured Tagovailoa in the SEC Championship Game—also against Georgia and led Alabama to a 35-28 victory after trailing by seven at the time of Tagovailoa's injury in the fourth quarter.

With Tagovailoa slated to return as the Alabama starter, Hurts entered the transfer portal and signed with Oklahoma. Hurts has said the decision was prompted in part by advice from Saban, who told him to go to the school that had the best players around.

Hurts made the most of his first and only season at Oklahoma, where he replaced outgoing Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. Under the tutelage of coach Lincoln Riley, Hurts improved significantly as a passer. He led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.

Following his stellar season at Oklahoma, Hurts was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the No. 53 overall pick. At the time Hurts was drafted, the Eagles still had Carson Wentz at quarterback. By the end of Hurts' rookie season, though, he was Philadelphia's starter, and the following offseason, Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts.

Hurts described that journey as having a "lot of ups and downs, highs and lows" before he got his first Super Bowl appearance. One of those lows was a loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023. Although Hurts accounted for four touchdowns, it wasn't enough to beat Kansas City or Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for three touchdowns and won his second of three Super Bowls.

Becoming the first quarterback in Oklahoma history to finish his college career as a Sooner and go on to win a Super Bowl, Hurts cemented his legacy. But is he a Sooner, or should he be more closely associated with Alabama, where he played his first three seasons? Either way, he honors both. Just call him a Super Bowl champion. He's now got a ring coming to solidify what he's proven throughout his entire career—from Alabama to Oklahoma to the NFL. He's a winner.

"It's, um," he said before sounding choked up, "it's been a very unprecedented journey. The journey, it's always the beginning until it's the end, and I think, it means a lot."