Jalen Hurts was almost Kelly Bryant before Bryant had the chance. After struggling and getting pulled during the National Championship against Georgia, Jalen was at a crossroads. He could have gone for glory elsewhere, or battled through the adversity and try to leave his mark on the storied Alabama football program. Jalen (obviously) stayed, and after his performance during the SEC championship game, Jalen’s name will go down in history.
The Rise of Jalen Hurts
After being ranked the top dual threat QB in the country according to 247Sports Top247, Jalen committed to the University of Alabama, and the Channelview High School product hit the ground running. After an offseason competition, Jalen took the starting job from redshirt freshman Blake Barnett by halftime of week one. Jalen captured the hearts of Alabama with his running ability, which perfectly fit with Alabama’s ground and pound style. During his first season, the Tide went 12-0. Jalen was recognized for his stellar performances, and took home SEC Offensive player of the year. Playing the Clemson Tigers for the second year in a row, Jalen couldn’t get the Tide back on top, falling 35-31. The next year, Jalen led the tide to a 13-1 record, and met up with Clemson (again) in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama won 24-6, and Jalen earned offensive MVP honors. With the Tide rolling, they then went up against Georgia in an all-SEC national championship, which is where the trouble began.
The Fall
While achieving a 26-2 record as a starter, Jalen was not without his criticisms. His decision making and passing ability were questioned. As someone who watched plenty of Alabama games, it was very frustrating seeing Jalen miss a wide open target 15 yards down field. In addition to this, he also would takeoff to run at the first sign of trouble. While this is not bad, once he decided to run, there was no chance Jalen kept his eyes down field. Both of these issues showed against Georgia. During the first half, Jalen went 3 for 8 for 21 yards and 47 rushing yards in the first half. With a stagnant offense, Coach Saban made the ballsiest decision he’s ever made: put in his true freshman QB at halftime. The rest, as they say, is history. Tua takes a bad sack, 2nd and 26, then throws a beautiful pass to Devonta Smith for the win.
During this game, Jalen was shown cheering on Tua. Jalen was genuinely happy with his team’s success, even though he was not on the field Everyone knew Jalen was a good guy, but that did not mean he was going to stay.
Jalen’s Decision
Jalen now had a choice: transfer to a program where he would start, or try and win back his starting job. With new NCAA redshirt rules, Jalen could play in four games and then redshirt. There was wild speculation about if Jalen would use this, or if he would transfer before the season. With reports that the QB room was unhappy with Saban about his silence on who would start week one, the general consensus was leaning towards Jalen transferring. Saban didn’t want to reveal his plan early, and didn’t “announce” his starter until kickoff. While Tua started against Louisville, Jalen did play. Ok, maybe Jalen would play four games, then redshirt? That was also later disproven, as Jalen appeared in nine games this season. Jalen did ok, but the best was yet to come.
Alabama’s Love for Jalen
Before I go on, I want to talk about Alabama’s fans. During this whole ordeal, the fans stuck by Jalen. The general consensus was “If he leaves, we get it. He was a good teammate to Tua, and did a lot for the team.” This was made apparent during the Iron Bowl. With 10 minutes left and the victory secured, Jalen entered the game. That was the second loudest the stadium was besides when Dixieland Delight came on. The loudest the stadium got was when Jalen threw a pass to Jaylen Waddle that went 47 yards for a TD. That was one of the loudest moments I have witnessed at Bryant-Denny Stadium in my four years at Alabama. For some players, a one play, 47 yard touchdown pass over your rival would be a season highlight. However, Jalen was saving his best for last.
Return to Greatness
For the second time in a year, Alabama was down by double digits to Georgia. This time, it was a hobbled Tagovailoa who was underperforming, throwing two picks in the game. Down by a touchdown when Tua went down, Jalen entered the game. With 5:19 left in the fourth, Jalen tied it up with a ten yard strike to Jerry Jeudy in the back of the endzone. Four minutes later, Jalen was back to his old tricks, rushing for a 15 yards on a draw to take the lead. The prodigal son had returned, and helped lead Alabama to another SEC championship.
What’s Next?
This still leaves unanswered questions, as it is unknown what Jalen’s plans are for the future, not even by himself. Whatever the future holds for Jalen, every Crimson Tide fan owes him a debt of gratitude, and whatever color his jersey is next year, Tuscaloosa will proudly back their man. We didn’t deserve you, Jalen.
