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Jalen Hurts
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Jalen Hurts, in full Jalen Alexander Hurts, (born August 7, 1998, Houston, Texas, U.S.), American football quarterback known for his passing and rushing proficiency. Hurts played for the University of Alabama (2016–18)—where he was a member of the team that won the 2018 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship—and the University of Oklahoma (2019). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) in 2020, and he led the team to Super Bowl LVII during the 2022–23 season. Hurts signed a five-year $255 million contract extension with the Eagles in April 2023, which placed him among the highest annual earners in the NFL.
Early life
Jalen Alexander Hurts is the second child of Pamela (née Dewalt) Hurts, a special education teacher and department chairperson, and Averion Hurts, Sr., a high-school football coach at Channelview (Texas) High School, where Hurts attended school and played football. Jalen also participated in the sport of powerlifting (a weightlifting sport) and became a regional finalist in his weight class. He committed to playing football for the University of Alabama in 2015. He graduated from Alabama in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and information sciences. He later attended the University of Oklahoma, completing a master’s degree in human relations in 2023.
College career
Hurts began his freshman season at Alabama in 2016 as a backup quarterback. However, in Alabama’s season-opening game against the University of Southern California, Hurts was brought in during the first quarter and led the team to a 52–6 victory, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two touchdowns. He went on to lead Alabama to the CFP National Championship game that season, but Alabama lost to Clemson University, 35–31. He earned numerous honours during his freshman year, including the Southeastern Conference (SEC) offensive player of the year.
As a sophomore, Hurts again led Alabama to the CFP National Championship game, this time against the University of Georgia. Alabama fell behind 13–0 at halftime, and Hurts was replaced by backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who helped Alabama rally to win the game in overtime, 26–23. Tagovailoa’s performance in the win relegated Hurts to the backup quarterback role for his junior season. Hurts did earn some playing time, however, and helped Alabama rally to win the SEC Championship Game against Georgia after Tagovailoa was injured. In December 2018, after graduating from Alabama, he transferred to the University of Oklahoma and played for the football team during the 2019 season, where he compiled a personal-best 3,851 passing yards, threw for 32 touchdowns, and accumulated 1,298 rushing yards. Hurts was voted runner-up for the 2019 Heisman Trophy. He led Oklahoma to the CFP semifinals, where they were defeated by Louisiana State University, 63–28.
Professional career
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2020 NFL draft, and he signed a rookie contract worth $6 million over four years. At the beginning of the 2020 NFL season, he was the team’s backup quarterback. He made his first breakout appearance for the Eagles on December 6, 2020, during the middle of the game against the Green Bay Packers. His performance impressed the Eagles coaching staff, and he was named the team’s starting quarterback for the next game against the New Orleans Saints. He passed for 167 yards, threw for a passing touchdown, and rushed for 106 yards in the 24–21 win, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass and rush for more than 100 yards in his starting debut.
Hurts passed for 22 touchdowns and rushed for 13 during the 2022 season. This was enough to lead the Eagles to a first-place finish in the National Football Conference with a 14–3 regular season record (with Hurts posting a record of 14–1 in his starts). The Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LVII but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38–35, on a field goal in the final seconds. He earned his first career Pro Bowl appearance and finished as a finalist in the NFL Most Valuable Player voting for his performance during the 2022 season.
