In a move that can only be described as shocking at the time, the Philadelphia Eagles selected former Alabama and Oklahoma star quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Hurts had a historic freshman season under head coach Nick Saban, throwing for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions. In what should have been a precursor for the NFL, Hurts rushed for a total of 954 yards and 13 touchdowns, breaking the school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback, surpassing Steadman Shealy’s previous record of 791 yards.
Hurts was benched at halftime of the 2018 CFP championship game in favor of Tagovailoa with the Crimson Tide trailing 13-0, and Tagovailoa led a comeback in a 26-23 overtime thriller.
Hurts spent most of his junior season as a backup to Tagovailoa and helped the Crimson Tide reach the CFP championship game for the fourth consecutive season in relief of Tua.
The All-Pro quarterback eventually transferred to Oklahoma for his senior season, where he followed back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
Hurts went on to become a Heisman Finalist and the rest is history.
With Philadelphia now in the Super Bowl, legendary head coach Nick Saban talked to the 33rd Team about his former quarterback’s commitment to the game and his journey to stardom.
"I can't tell you how proud I am of seeing this guy in the Super Bowl, only because I know firsthand what he went through to get there." @AlabamaFTBL head coach Nick Saban on why @JalenHurts' commitment to his development is what defines him #RollTide x #FlyEaglesFly
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 2, 2023
In 15 games played this season, Hurts completed 66.5% of his passes for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 101.5 while rushing for 760 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns.
The Eagles were 14-1 with Hurts as a starter during the regular season and were 0-2 during his time out with a shoulder injury.