Where is Jalen Hurts from? Hometown, college & more to know about Eagles QB’s roots
Jalen Hurts will have a fan base spanning several states — not just Philadelphia — as he leads the Eagles vs. the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.
Hurts has a lengthy and successful football career, emerging as a blue-chip recruit from Texas before establishing two separate college football programs. He already replicated that in the NFL with the Eagles.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to those who’ve followed Hurts from high school to college to the NFL: He’s excelled at every stage up to this point. A win over Kansas City on February 12 would only cement an already wildly successful football career.
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With that, The Sporting News delves into Hurt’s background: where he’s from, where he played in high school and college, and where he was drafted in the NFL.
Where is Jalen Hurts from?
Hurts comes from Canal View, Texas, a 22-minute drive east of Houston. He played at Channelview High School, where his father Averion was a coach and where his older brother Averion Jr. was also a starting quarterback.
Jalen Hurts took over as the Falcons’ starting quarterback as a junior in 2014, a season in which he became the first Channelview quarterback to defeat district rivals North Shore. According to the Houston Chronicle, he accomplished that with a 36-yard touchdown pass just as time was up to beat the Mustangs 49-48 in 2014.
The following season, Hurts led Channelview to its first playoff spot in 22 years (although the team exited the 6A Division 2 playoff early with a 71–21 win over Manvel). Here are his stats from those seasons, according to MaxPreps:
| Year | cmp att (pt) | meter | TD INT | Rushyards (TDs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 117/205 (57.1) | 1,987 | 15-4 | 806 (17) |
| 2015 | 99/159 (62.3) | 1,536 | 18-3 | 941 (17) |
Hurt’s two years as a starter was enough to secure his status as one of the must-haves of the 2016 Recruitment class. He was listed as the #4 dual-threat quarterback in the class, as well as the 29th player in the state of Texas, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. A four-star recruit, he finished high school in 2016 as the 192nd player.
The Chronicle also notes that Hurts was a celebrated powerlifter for the Falcons, reporting that he squatted 570 pounds, benched 275 pounds, and deadlifted 585 pounds in one contest when he was just 16 years old. He also competed in the shot put during the track season.
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Where did Jalen Hurts go to college?
This is a point of contention among college football fans, as Hurts is a celebrated both in Alabama, where he played three seasons and was a two-year starter, and in Oklahoma, where he finished his college career and had his greatest individual achievement player is.
Below is an overview of his time with each program:
Alabama (2016-18)
| Year | cmp att (pt) | meter | TD INT | Rush yards (TD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 240-382 (62.8) | 2,780 | 23-9 | 953 (13) |
| 2017 | 154-255 (60.4) | 2,081 | 17-1 | 854 (8) |
| 2018 | 51-70 (72.9) | 765 | 8-2 | 183 (2) |
Hurts was 2016’s first true freshman to start for the Crimson Tide since Vince Sutton in 1984. He led the Crimson Tide to a 14-0 record before losing to Clemson in the 2017 College Football Playoff championship game.
The following season, Hurts led Alabama to an 11-1 regular season record and second straight CFP berth. After beating the Tigers 24-6 in the Sugar Bowl to avenge the previous season’s loss, Hurts was benched at halftime against Georgia in the 2018 CFP title game. His backup, Tua Tagovailoa, led the Crimson Tide to a 26-23 victory in overtime.
Hurts returned as a replacement for Tagovailoa the following season but was used in the 2018 SEC Championship game after Tua was injured against the Bulldogs. Hurts led two goalscoring drives to beat Georgia 35-28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he was benched for Tagovailoa in the Championship the year before.
The Hurts’ final season in Alabama ended in a loss to Clemson in the 2019 CFP title game.
Oklahoma (2019)
| Year | Comp Att (Percent) | Yds | TD INT | Rush yards (TD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 237-340 (69.7) | 3,851 | 32-8 | 1,323 (23) |
Hurts, a 2018 University of Alabama graduate, transferred to Oklahoma in 2019, his final season of collegiate eligibility (and was able to play immediately as he was considered a graduate transfer by the NCAA).
At Norman, Hurts not only finished second in the Heisman Trophy, but also led the Sooners to the Big 12 championship and third straight college football playoffs (becoming the first and only QB of the CFP era to date who ran two different programs). the finals). The Hurts’ final season ended in a Peach Bowl loss to LSU.
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Which pick was Jalen Hurts picked in the 2020 NFL Draft?
After his final college football season, Hurts was drafted into the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The Eagles took him with their second pick of the draft (53rd overall) to replace Carson Wentz. In just his second year in the league, Hurts became a full-time starter and led the Eagles to the playoffs, eventually losing to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the wildcard round.
A year later, Hurts has the Eagles on the precipice of a Super Bowl victory — unsurprising given how successful he was at every stage of the game, from Houston to Tuscaloosa, from Norman to Philadelphia.