Yesterday for day 2 of the college football countdown we highlighted an intimidating pass rusher from the Big 12. Now today for day 1, we stay in the Big 12 and look at a Heisman runner up quarterback.
Jalen Hurts was born in Houston, Texas and attended Channelview High School where he played football and was on the powerlifting team. He was recruited hard by Texas A&M but ultimately decided that Alabama would be his home.
As a true freshman, Hurts was named the starter by game two and never looked back. He passed for twenty seven hundred yards and twenty three touchdowns while also rushing for just south of a thousand yards and thirteen touchdowns.
His efforts earned him SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All SEC.
The following season, Hurts digressed a bit as he passed for two thousand yards and seventeen touchdowns and rushed for eight hundred and fifty five yards and eight touchdowns.
In the 2017 National Championship Game against Georgia, Hurts was pulled for Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa led a great comeback and was named the starter in 2018 and Hurts was the backup.
As the backup, Hurts posted seven hundred and sixty five passing yards and eight touchdowns. After toughing it out on the bench in Tuscaloosa, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma.
In 2019 as a graduate transfer for the Sooners, Hurts went off. He passed for thirty eight hundred yards with thirty two touchdowns and rushed for thirteen hundred yards and twenty touchdowns.
His efforts led him to be a Heisman runner up behind Joe Burrow who had an unreal season at LSU. He was also named First Team All Big 12 and was the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
Following that season at Oklahoma, Hurts was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and has recently been named the Eagles starting quarterback.
Well, tomorrow when you wake up, we will have college football. Let’s go.