Yeah you read that right, former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts, is now an Oklahoma Sooner, and is the front runner for the 2019 Heisman Trophy. That would make it three straight Heisman winners for the Sooners which has never been done before by one school. Jalen Hurts is in prime position to take home the award next year.
The favorite son of Alabama football has found a new place to call home for his final collegiate season.
After not being the starting QB for the Crimson Tide in 2018, thanks to the emergence of Tua Tagovailoa, Hurts set out to transfer to pursue a starting job elsewhere. Jalen picked the most logical destination in the Oklahoma Sooners who have become famous for developing transfer QBs.
How did Hurts end up in Norman and how does his transfer to the crimson and cream impact OU's 2019 campaign and the entire college football season? This is a story of a player who has been in and out of the limelight during in his career in Tuscaloosa and what will motivate his quest to take another team to the promise land.
Jalen Hurts, according to 247 Sports, was a 4-star prospect coming out of Channelview High School in Channelview, Texas. He was also the top dual-threat QB in his recruiting class. Hurts' father, Averion, was his head coach, where Jalen put up great numbers.
In his senior campaign, Hurts totaled 2,384 passing yards with 26 touchdown passes. He also was a workhorse on the ground, totaling 1,391 rushing yards along with 25 TDs. Jalen had multiple offers coming out of high school which included in-state schools like Texas A&M and Texas Tech. He was also offered by Mississippi State and Alabama. Hurts was not offered by the University of Texas.
Texas A&M recruited Hurts hard later in the process after the Aggies lost Kyler Murray by way of a transfer to the University of Oklahoma (Jalen will replace Murray anyway at OU). However, Hurts spurned the Aggies and committed to the Crimson Tide after being recruited by Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis, and former QB coach, and now FAU head coach, Lane Kiffin.
Hurts was immediately thrust into a QB competition as soon as he stepped foot on campus. Jalen competed for the job with another freshman in Blake Barnett and junior Cooper Bateman. Alabama's first game in 2016 was against the USC Trojans in AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban, is notorious for not giving away information on who would be starting for the Tide at any position, especially at QB. Everyone would find out who would start for Alabama on the Crimson Tide offense's first drive, and Blake Barnett was sent out there as Alabama's starting QB.
As it turns out it did not really matter who was sent out there at QB, because Alabama demolished the Trojans 52-6. USC had their true freshman QB on the bench in Sam Darnold. Like Darnold, Hurts did not last long as the backup QB on the depth chart.
By game two versus Western Kentucky, Jalen Hurts was named the starting QB for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Hurts fulfilled every true freshman's dream, to start in their first year on campus. Hurts led Alabama to an undefeated regular season while totaling quality numbers for a true freshman.
Jalen finished with 2,780 passing yards along with 23 TDs and only nine interceptions. The number one dual-threat QB in the 2016 recruiting class also showed out carrying the football as well. Hurts finished with 954 rushing yards and 13 TDs which broke the school's single season rushing record for a QB.
Those stats came with some high accolades. Hurts was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year Award.
As a freshman, Hurts played a big role in leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to the 2016 College Football Playoff. Alabama made quick work of the Washington Huskies in the semifinal and advanced to the CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers. In one of the greatest championship games ever, the Tigers, led by Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson, threw a TD to WR Hunter Renfrow to down the Tide in the closing seconds of the contest.
Hurts did not have the most efficient game passing the ball, finishing 13-of-31, with 131 passing yards and one TD. Hurts was destined to not walk off the field again and have the feeling of a national championship slipping through his fingers.
With Hurts fully entrenched as the starter going into his sophomore season, the Crimson Tide were picked to finish as national champions. In 2017, Alabama had another great season finished the regular season 11-1 with their lone loss to in-state rival Auburn, 26-14.
Hurts still finished with solid numbers, even though many people did not believe in Hurts' ability to throw the football (including me). I remember saying, what would Jalen do on another team? Is Alabama winning because of him or in spite of him? Hurts finished with 2,000 plus passing yards along with 17 TDs and only 1 INT. He still ran for 854 yards and finished with 8 TDs.
Alabama still found themselves in the College Football Playoff as a four seed, getting another rematch with Clemson. Alabama took advantage of the opportunity and took care of Clemson 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Jalen did not have to do much as the Alabama defense manhandled QB Kelly Bryant and the Tigers offense. Hurts finished with only 120 passing yards with 2 TDs.
Alabama advanced again to the College Football Playoff National Championship, this time to face another SEC team in the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia outlasted Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl 54-48 in overtime (we don't have to bring that game up again).
Everyone in the southeast was hyped up for this CFP title game but I am sure the rest of the country was not that enthused about two SEC teams fighting for a championship.
Jalen Hurts and the Alabama offense really struggled to get anything going throughout the first half of the title game against Georgia. The Bulldogs went into the locker room at halftime with a 13-0 lead. In the first half, Hurts was abysmal. Jalen finished with 21 passing yards and 47 rushing yards. Would Nick Saban make a change at QB? How will he get this Alabama offense going?
As it turns out, Saban did make a change at QB. Hurts who was 25-2 as a starter coming into the Georgia game, was benched for true freshman and former 5-star recruit Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa got some work throughout the season but was thrust into the biggest game of his life and he rose to the occasion.
Tagovailoa roared Alabama back into the game as the CFP national championship game went to overtime. Georgia got a field goal in their first possession and the rest of the contest is history. After a 16-yard loss on first down, on 2nd down and 26, Tagovailoa drops an absolute dime to the back of the end zone for a TD. Alabama had won the national championship.
You never usually see two QBs on the same team get interviewed after winning a national title but we heard from Hurts and Tagovailoa about what had just happened. Here was Hurts after the game as he did not show any resentment towards Coach Saban about benching him. He was a national champion but not the way that he envisioned when he walked off the field against Clemson the year before.
Coming into Hurts' junior season, he was embroiled in another QB competition betweem him and Tagovailoa. Tua was already the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and it was assumed Tagovailoa would start. Saban kept it close to the vest again and started Tagovailoa in the 2018 season opener against Louisville.
With the new transfer rule stating that any player can play up to four games and still keep his eligibility for that year, there were rumblings about when Hurts was going to transfer. We know Tua is not relinquisng the starting role any time soon but when will Jalen leave? The media constantly asked Nick Saban about the possibility of Jalen leaving the team and Saban, as he usually does, grew tired of getting asked that question. He let the media know about it time and time again.
Clemson QB Kelly Bryant was usurped by true freshman Trevor Lawrence and he left the Tiger program and everyone waited for Hurts to do the same. Jalen played in his four possible games and still decided to stick it out with the Tide for the 2018 season. As it turns out, Hurts was eventually rewarded for staying with the program.
Hurts played some throughout the 2018 season, appeared in 13 games and threw for 765 yards and eight TDs. Near the end of the regular season, Tagovailoa was not healthy. He ended up hurting his ankle and thus aggravated it later in the SEC Championship game. Guess who had to step in and play in Tagovailoa's absence?Yeah you guessed it, Jalen Hurts.
Just one year before, Tagovailoa had replaced Hurts in a game against Georgia. Like Tua, Hurts did not disappoint. Jalen came into the contest in the fourth quarter and balled out. Hurts' first play came on a 3rd down and 12, and he threw a strike to TE Irv Smith for a first down. Using his arm and his legs, Hurts led the Tide offense down the field and threw a TD to tie the game at 28.
Georgia got the ball back and had 4th and 11 on the 50-yard line. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart decided to run a fake punt with backup QB Justin Fields and Alabama made sure that play went nowhere. The ensuing drive, Hurts led the Tide down the field again and this time scored with his legs, which would end up being, the game-winning TD against Georgia 35-28.
On the same field, against the same team, an Alabama backup QB won the game against the Georgia Bulldogs. Hurts was rewarded for his perseverance and helped Alabama get into the College Football Playoff once again.
Alabama, then went onto face the 2018 Heisman trophy winner Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl. The Sooners defense was no match for this Tide offense and the Tide rolled 45-34. Alabama advanced to play Clemson and got demolished 44-16 in the CFP title game. That ended up being Jalen Hurts' last game as an Alabama football player.
Jalen Hurts was officially a college football free agent and looking for his next home. Jalen visited three schools, Maryland, Miami FL, and Oklahoma. Hurts visited Maryland because his offensive coordinator Mike Locksley at Alabama is now the head coach for the Terrapins and he visited Miami because his former QB Coach Dan Enos, has taken over as Miami’s OC. However, minus those coaching connections, Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma seemed like the best overall football fit.
Why wouldn’t you want to go play for a school that has produced the last two Heisman Trophy winners?
On January 16th, 2019 in a Players Tribune article, Hurts announced his intentions to go play his senior season at the University of Oklahoma. The Sooners now have their third straight transfer QB following Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray in Norman.
Hurts is now in his third career QB competition with redshirt freshman Tanner Mordecai and incoming freshman, five-star recruit Spencer Rattler (Rattler will arrive in the summer). Jalen, more than likely, will be the starter for the Sooners when they open the 2019 campaign at home against the Houston Cougars.
Hurts is already fitting in well with his new teammates at OU. In this video that went viral, Hurts is seen squatting 585 pounds during max squat day (has 1m views). Sooners fans are already hyped up for their new QB as Hurts attended an Oklahoma basketball game and there were a long line of kids and college students waiting to take a picture with him. He is already making his presence felt in Norman even without suiting up for a game.
The Sooners have started spring practice and Hurts is scheduled to meet with the media in a couple weeks, the first time the media has heard from Jalen since he transferred in. His Oklahoma teammates were asked about how well Hurts has acclimated himself and one quote stuck out from junior cornerbackTre Brown.
“He picks up where the rest of the Heismans left off.” A strong statement from an assumed defensive starter who will go against Hurts every day in practice. Also, the humble brag about OU having the last two Heisman winners (Mayfield and Murray) stands out as well.
Oklahoma boasted one of the best offenses in the country in 2018 and looks to continue that trend in 2019. Who will Hurts be throwing to? Well, Oklahoma is never shy in skill position talent and has the depth to run through Big 12 defenses next fall once again.
Even though the team loses WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the NFL, the Sooners have three five star WRs coming in their 2019 #NewWave recruiting class. Junior standout WR CeDee Lamb and junior TE Grant Calcaterra are back. Running back tandem Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks are back as well. Hurts will have all the tools needed at his disposal to perform well in 2019.
OU head coach Lincoln Riley has not had the luxury of a QB of this size in Hurts. It will be interesting to see how he molds this offense around him. We know that Jalen has improved as a passer but by how much. It will be interesting to see how creative Riley gets in short yardage situations as well. Hurts is listed at 219 pounds on the spring depth chart, so he will able to absorb some hits with more designed QB power runs.
The most important thing is that Oklahoma has another true leader at the QB position who has been through the ups and downs of the position. The Sooners will be the team to watch in 2019 once again.
The only question about the Sooners offense will be their offensive line. Four starters from last Joe Moore Award winners (country’s best OL) are gone to the NFL, how will that new group develop? There is talent there so it will be interesting to see how that comes together throughout the course of the season.
Jalen Hurts will be under an enormous amount of pressure as he is replacing a Heisman Trophy winner and potential NFL Draft number one pick in Kyler Murray (as Murray did before him). He has played in big moments before in Tuscaloosa so that should not faze him one bit.
Will Hurts get the chance to get revenge on the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff? That would be something. Oklahoma has not won a national championship since the 2000, could Hurts deliver that for the Sooners program?
Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa will be the favorites for the Heisman Trophy along with Clemson phenom Trevor Lawrence. I expect all three to be finalists for the trophy in New York and Hurts has a great chance to claim a third straight Heisman Trophy for the Sooners and eighth in program history.
Many intriguing questions will need answers as soon as the 2019 season gets underway. One thing is for sure, any Alabama fan knows not to doubt Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma fans will come to realize that as well.
Boomer Sooner.
Sources:
Maxpreps.com
chsfalcons.com
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