Alabama QB Jalen Hurts begins road to redemption

Jalen Hurts has a lot to learn from a National Championship loss, so what will he be for Alabama in his sophomore campaign?

Jalen Hurts and the Alabama Crimson Tide lost in Monday’s National Championship Game in crushing fashion. The true freshman quarterback found paydirt with his legs from 30 yards out to give the Tide the lead with 2:07 remaining in the game. However, Deshaun Watson drove down, found Hunter Renfrow and put Alabama on ice with one second left as the Clemson Tigers took home the crown.

Without question Hurts’ rushing touchdown in the final quarter was the biggest play of the game for the Crimson Tide. Trailing on the biggest stage college football has to offer, Hurts took a broken play and turned it into the go-ahead touchdown. However, the very definition of Hurts as a player exiting his freshman season is that he’s simultaneously capable of making the biggest play of the game for his team while also being the reason that they’d need a late touchdown to pull ahead or win — obviously not the latter in this case.

Alabama would’ve never been trailing late in the fourth quarter had it not been for Hurts’ shortcomings as a passer. Fans would have pointed out Hurts’ approximately 64 percent completion rate coming into the game as evidence that the freshman could pass. However, the Clemson defense showed otherwise. They dared Hurts to throw and he proved their strategy wise, completing just 13 of his 31 attempts on the night. Mind you, this came after a Peach Bowl performance where the freshman signal-caller went just 7-of-14 for 57 yards, though he did add 50 rushing yards.

Perhaps the most damning evidence of the lack of faith that the Crimson Tide have in their quarterback as a passer came on the play immediately prior to his 30-yard trip to the end zone.

Rather than have Hurts move the ball downfield with his arm, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian put the pass in the hands of wide receiver ArDarius Stewart. Yes, a trick play catches the defense off guard, but there’s something to be said for the fact that they didn’t let Hurts make the throw.

While you can pick apart Hurts’ performance in Tampa on Monday night, though, the most important thing to remember is that he’s 18 years old and coming back for his true sophomore season in the 2017 campaign. After putting up 36 total touchdowns and producing over 3,700 yards of offense as a freshman for the most high-profile college football program in the country, what does Hurts have in store for his encore?

We’re not fortune-tellers, but it’s first going to be interesting to see how the switch from Lane Kiffin to Sarkisian affects Hurts’ effectiveness. Kiffin’s willingness to run the ball until there was no tread left on the tires opened up a great deal of the offense for Hurts this season. And with Bo Scarbrough returning and super-freshman Najee Harris making his way to Tuscaloosa, Sarkisian could do that again as well. However, there is going to be at least some shift in approach, one that puts more reliance on Hurts’ ability as a passer if the title game is any indication.

That obviously necessitates Hurts improving simply his accuracy as a passer. While that’s vital to his progression and continued success, there are positives to take away from Hurts at quarterback. For all of the faults that Hurts showed as a thrower during his freshman season, his decision-making was not among them. Right up there with his ability to sustain plays and create with his athleticism, Hurts was quite admirable in his ability to avoid mistakes. Even in an abysmal showing against Clemson, Hurts still avoided any turnovers on the night.

However, Monday night’s loss now makes the Alabama quarterback’s task even more daunting as a sophomore. The pressure to get back to the National Championship Game and to keep the Tide rolling were always going to be there. But now he has to deal with turmoil inside of him coming off of the loss—much less a loss that, by all accounts, can be pinned on his shortcomings. Figuring out how to cope and grow from that will be pivotal. While not the same situation, it’s something that the quarterback could stand to learn from Watson.

In the broad scope of Alabama football, Hurts largely stands as an anomaly. The Crimson Tide aren’t the team that lets freshman get under center. Bama isn’t the team known for having the highly mobile and elusive quarterback. Yet Hurts was both of those things and, had the defense held for two minutes, he would’ve led them to a National Championship victory. Instead, he now has to lead a search for redemption as an individual and a collective.