I must admit: I have become a Jalen Hurts fan. Several years ago, when there was a quarterback battle between Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at the University of Alabama, I was in the Tua camp. That seems like a lifetime ago. And in many ways for Jalen Hurts, it was.
Just for fun, let’s put on our dreaming caps for a moment and go back in time to Saturday, September 1, 2018. Alabama is playing Louisville in the Camping World Kickoff game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Moments after a 51-14 Crimson Tide victory, ESPN’s Maria Taylor found Nick Saban on the field and this happened:
That summer, the talk around Tuscaloosa was “Who’s going to be the starting quarterback: Tua or Jalen?” Scuttlebutt gave the edge to Tua. Given his ability to throw the ball and the way he ignited the Alabama offense the previous season against Georgia in the CFP National Championship after Hurts was benched, one had to assume that Saban was going to give #13 the ball to start the season and Hurts, the previous starter, was going to be on the outside looking in. The Great Debate continued to simmer all throughout the summer, but then ESPN’s Maria Taylor blew the lid off by mentioning the unmentionable on live TV.
And although it’s hard to imagine now, the Super Bowl LIX MVP spent most of the 2018 season on the bench, watching Tagovailoa lead the Alabama offense to victory after victory. Not only that, but the knife-twist in the gut was that Tua was dropping beautiful touchdown rainbows into receivers’ hands and Alabama’s aerial attack was as potent as it has ever been. It, truly, was a remarkable thing to witness.
From Hurts’ standpoint, it must have been difficult – watching your starting position be wrested from you and have to sit and watch the season unfold from the sideline (Hurts never led the team in passing or rushing in any game during the 2018 season, but a year earlier, he had led the Crimson Tide in passing in 12 games and in rushing in five games, despite the fact that Najee Harris, Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs, Brian Robinson Jr., and Bo Scarborough were in the backfield). Sure, there were still flashes of greatness – Hurts returned the favor and saved Alabama’s behind against Georgia in the SEC championship game in 2018 – but it was largely a trying season.
Alabama quarterbacks have historically been under a high degree of scrutiny, but the scrutiny of Hurts was at times even higher. Skeptics placed a hard ceiling on his game. It was said over and over and over—from greasy spoon diners to greasy oil change places across the state—that he “isn’t an NFL quarterback.” Critics wondered if he could win the big game. He was tagged as more of a runner than a passer. Fans were maddened when Alabama’s offense would stall, and Hurts would run around right side for the umpteenth time and chuck it out of bounds.
Yes, he was leading Alabama down the path to an eventual national championship in 2017, but throughout most of the season, the offense was not a well-oiled machine. In eight out of nine games from Sept. 30 to Nov. 25, Hurts failed to throw for 200 yards. Hurts was again uninspiring in a gut-wrenching 26-14 loss to Auburn, and the Crimson Tide’s hopes of a national title seemed to be dashed. But the college football gods were favorable, and Alabama, despite not playing in the SEC championship game, snuck into the four-team playoff.
Hurts continued to struggle in the first round against Clemson, throwing for only 120 yards and leading the Tide to a mere 261 yards of total offense. Yet the Tide continued to roll, racking up a 24-6 victory to face SEC foe Georgia for all the marbles.
Let’s hit pause for just a moment and return to modern day. An iconic photo of Hurts was posted on social media after the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs on Sunday. Hurts, still in uniform, is sitting in the floor smoking a cigar, the Lombardi Trophy between his legs. He appears pensive, reflective, drinking in the moment, perhaps trying to understand what has been done, how far he’s come. The music of Frankie Beverly is playing in the background.
I just wonder if Georgia crossed his mind.
Basketball coaching icon Bobby Knight once said, “The greatest motivator in the world is your ass on the bench,” and when Hurts was benched in the second half against Georgia—on the biggest stage in college football, no less—he took it like a true champion. He could have sunk into despair, folded up the tents and pouted his way home. Instead, he became a better quarterback. Instead, he embraced the grind. Now he is a Super Bowl champion.
Is it probable to say that without the benching, Hurts would not be holding the Lombardi trophy this past Sunday? Yes, he spent almost an entire season in a backup role in 2018, but being able to reinvent himself at Oklahoma, coupled with what he has done in Philadelphia, has been absolutely remarkable.
Still, he’s been doubted all along. When Hurts was taken as a second-round pick in 2020, many of the Eagles’ faithful were skeptical. After Hurts led the Eagles to the brink of a title in just his third NFL season, some still wondered if he could ever win the big game, or if he was simply the quarterback who took teams to the brink—only to come up just short.
Sunday answered that question.
Save for a second-half collapse in 2023, Hurts and Co. have been solid. The Eagles are 51-20 since he took over as starting quarterback in 2021. His numbers have been equally impressive. His ability to throw, run, and run for touchdowns have kept even the most knee-jerk, hypercritical Fantasy Football managers happy. Here’s a look at his statistics over the last five seasons:
So it’s been an incredible journey for the young quarterback from Channelview, Texas. What’s in store in the future for this elite warrior is anyone’s guess. Governor Hurts, Senator Hurts…
For now, Jalen, light that cigar. Put on some Frankie Beverly. Go to Disneyworld. Enjoy the moment. You’ve certainly earned it.
Oh, and by the way. I’m in your camp now. TG
Cover photo: Courtesy Alabama Athletics
