Where did Jalen Hurts play college football? History and key stats for the Eagles' QB

While all of the headlines in Super Bowl LIX concern the Kansas City Chiefs' pursuit of history and Saquon Barkley's contributions to the Philadelphia Eagles, one man who is flying under the radar is Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts. While it is unusual for a guy who signed a $255 million contract extension prior to the 2023 season to be underrated, the presence of Barkley and Philadelphia's run-centric offense has made it seem like Hurts is a bit more of a passenger on the ride than the man driving the car.

A win in the Super Bowl would be a significant boost to Hurts' legacy as he looks to establish himself as one of the top quarterbacks to play in the NFL. The winding road that Hurts took to reach the top of the mountain, however, has helped shape him into the player that he is today.

Where did Jalen Hurts play college football?

The answer to this question is a two-pronged one, which is a bit unusual in the era prior to NIL and the unlimited transfers. As a highly-coveted four-star recruit out of high school, Hurts had a litany of scholarship offers and chose to commit to Alabama in 2015.

The Crimson Tide named Hurts their starting quarterback in his second game of the 2016 campaign, making him the first true freshman to start at Alabama in 32 years. Alabama made the College Football Playoff behind Hurts that year and lost 35-31 to Oklahoma in an upset, but Hurts made his mark, earning First Team All-SEC honors while also being named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

2017 wasn't as strong statisically for Hurts but the Crimson Tide had more team success, returning to the College Football Playoff and advancing to face Georgia in the national championship game. The Bulldogs jumped to a 13-0 lead over Alabama and Hurts was struggling, leading Hall of Fame head coach Nick Saban to bench his star in favor of backup Tua Tagovailoa, who rallied the Crimson Tide to the win and supplanted Hurts as the starter the following year.

While most players in that situation would look to transfer somewhere else for a better shot at playing time, Hurts did the untraditional move by accepting the demotion and working hard as Alabama's backup. Saban used Hurts occasionally throughout the season and he stepped up in the SEC Championship Game, when Tagovailoa suffered an injury, and led the Crimson Tide to a comeback win over Georgia to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff once again.

After graduating with a degree in communication and information sciences in December of 2018, Hurts was immediately eligible to play at another program as a grad transfer and opted to go to Oklahoma, which had just produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Baker Mayfield. The move to the Sooners paid big dividends for Hurts, who produced a dominant season that helped him get Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff and finish as the runner up in Heisman Trophy voting to Joe Burrow.

Breaking down Jalen Hurts' college football performance

Hurts was a dual-threat quarterback throughout his collegiate career but was always extremely accurate, completing 65.1 percent of his passes throughout his career and peaking with a 69.7 percent mark in 2019 with Oklahoma. That grad year campaign was a huge one for Hurts, who had his most prolific campign both in the air (throwing for 3,851 yards with 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions) and on the ground (rushing for 1,298 yards another 20 touchdowns).

What was Jalen Hurts' high school athletic career like?

There were plenty of signs that Hurts was destined for stardom when he was a two-sport athlete at Channelview High School in Channelview, Texas. Hurts' father was his high school football coach and the pairing paid off as Hurts was the District 21-6A MVP as a junior, putting him on the radar for most top college programs.

Channelview got a strong senior season from Hurts, who threw for 2,384 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 1,391 yards along with another 25 touchdowns on the ground. Unlike most two-sport athletes in high school who participate in traditional sports like baseball or basketball, Hurts' other pursuit was powerlifting.

As a member of the powerlifting program, Hurts was able to squat 500 pounds of weight and reached the regional finals for his weight class. That unique skillset would play a key role in his eventual NFL success.

How did Jalen Hurts transition from college to the NFL?

Hurts' strong 2019 campaign at Oklahoma increased his draft stock but didn't earn him first-round consideration alongside the class' top prospects like Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. The Eagles, in a somewhat surprising move since they had an established young quarterback in Carson Wentz, drafted Hurts in the second round with an eye towards using him in specialized packages to complement Wentz.

After quickly ascending to the backup role, Hurts supplanted Wentz as the starter in December of 2020 and hasn't relinquished the job since. A coaching change from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni brought a new offensive approach that included the development of the Tush Push (or Brotherly Shove in some cricles), utilizing Hurts' squatting background to create a nearly unstoppable short-yardage play that helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII in 2023.

Jalen Hurts' college legacy

While Hurts likely won't be having his number retired or getting inducted into a Ring of Honor at either of his college programs, his legacy is secure at Alabama and Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide will always remember Hurts' contributions to their 2017 national title team and his selfless decision to accept being demoted in favor of Tagovailoa, offering Hurts a redemptive moment when he relieved the injured starter to help Alabama win the SEC Championship Game.

Hurts' one-year at Oklahoma was also memorable as he was named the Big 12's Newcomer of the Year and was a second-team All-American in addition to his Heisman runner-up status. Having a player like Hurts come right after Mayfield, who had also found new life following a transfer to Oklahoma, established the Sooners as a safe haven for quarterback prospects that has continued to pay dividends to this day.