Jalen Hurts is one of the 38,289 residents who call Channelview, TX home. Despite growing up in the metro-Houston area, Hurts decided to take his quarterback talents to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban.
The 6-foot- 2, 209 pound dual-threat had offers from almost every major program in the Lone Star State, but when it came down to it he decided to call a small town in west Alabama home for the next four years (that is, if he doesn’t leave early for the NFL).
Hurts made it known that when it came to his decision, coaching was a major factor. He gravitated to Nick Saban and his staff, due to Saban’s planning and process he lays out for his players to succeed.
Why has Hurts become such a hot name amongst Alabama fans? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that Alabama has not yet named a starter for the 2016 season. Outside of Hurts, the Tide have looked towards redshirt freshman, Blake Barnett, and redshirt junior Cooper Bateman.
There’s a clear cut favorite amongst fans, and that’s the kid from Channelview. Fans love how dynamic Hurts is and the energy he brings. As an early enrollee, Hurts served as a makeshift Deshaun Watson that helped prepare the Tide for their National Championship showdown with Clemson. Alabama came out of the matchup victorious.
Coming out of Channelview High School, Hurts put up numbers that were eye-popping. He was named the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback by 247sports.com. During his senior season he threw for 2,384 yards, 26 touch down passes, and rushed for a career high 1,391 yards and 25 touchdowns.
As fall camp pushes on, Hurts has done plenty to set himself apart from the competition. Charlie Potter of 247sports.com was able to get some insight on the quarterback battle from Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Kiffin spoke very highly of Hurts:
“I think if you come in as a midyear (enrollee) and you perform well at all, you’re gonna be pretty good because most of the guys will struggle a lot,” Kiffin said. “Very, very special skillset. A very strong kid, one of our top lifters in strength, forties, vertical. And so he’s just continuing to learn a completely new system from what he was in high school. And that transition for all the players, especially quarterbacks, is difficult. But he’s handled it really well, and we’re really excited about what he’s done and some of the plays that he makes that are really not in-rhythm plays because of his ability to make big plays.”
Hurts is one of nine Texas players on Alabama’s Roster.
Alabama plays their first game against USC in the 2016 Cowboy Classic, at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The game is scheduled to kickoff 7:00 p.m. CST, Saturday Sept. 3.
