Jalen Hurts to join rare company with Eagles start on Sunday
By John Buhler
It will be an almost unprecedented event when Jalen Hurts starts for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jalen Hurts‘ start for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday will be something 56 years in the making.
Sunday marks the first start of Hurts’ NFL career, as he will be taking over for an ineffective Carson Wentz in Week 14 vs. the NFC favorite New Orleans Saints at home. The 22-year-old rookie quarterback out of Oklahoma by way of Alabama will be the youngest quarterback to start for the Eagles since Jack Concannon debuted as a 21-year-old for the 1964 Eagles. It is a big deal.
“You guys have seen him play,” said Hurts’ draft classmate in Eagles wide receiver Jalen Reagor. “Y’all seen him in college. Y’all seen him. He brings a lot of confidence. He won a national championship as a freshman, as a 19-year-old. He knows how to win.”
“Jalen, he brings swagger, he brings confidence, just like Carson brings swagger and confidence. This is just his chance to grow and expand as a leader and this is his opportunity and I wish him the best, I wish Carson the best, and whoever we rock with that’s who we rock with and just try to get this thing on the right track.”
Jalen Hurts has already played in a ton of big games in his 22 years on earth
The Alabama Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff all three years he was on campus in Tuscaloosa. While he lost his starting job to Tua Tagovailoa in the 2017 National Championship, the Crimson Tide beat the Georgia Bulldogs in spectacular fashion in double overtime. Second-and-26 will always be remember fondly in Alabama and understandably dreaded in Athens.
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At Oklahoma, the Sooners made to the College Football Playoff in his lone year in Norman. Hurts finished as the runner-up for the 2019 Heisman Trophy to Joe Burrow of the LSU Tigers. While he may be young in age, Hurts more than makes up for it in big-game experience. With nothing left to lose at this point of the season, look for Hurts to do his best to help the Eagles fly vs. the Saints.
Keep in mind he is going against a fellow backup quarterback in Taysom Hill on Sunday afternoon.