In order for anyone to become great at what they do, they must first overcome adversity. Whether it be mental or physical challenges, the road to glory means tackling these issues head on. For athletes, losing a starting job or a championship game would be the biggest challenge to overcome, at any level. With that being said, can you imagine losing your starting job in a championship game?
Jalen Hurts doesn’t have to imagine it – he lived it.
Coming out of high school in 2016, Jalen Hurts had garnered lots of attention from college coaches, even receiving a 4-star ranking. Despite interest from many other schools, Jalen Hurts made the difficult decision to play for Nick Saban, at The University of Alabama. For most players heading to Alabama, earning a starting job as a freshman would be laughable, but not for Hurts. By the second game of his collegiate career, he had earned the starting job, bringing a new edge to the Alabama offense. That season, Hurts led the team to a perfect record and a National Championship appearance.
Despite playing a great game, Alabama lost the 2017 National Championship to Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers, 35-31. Despite this, Jalen Hurts seemed destined for greatness, and was poised to make it right back to the National Championship. Which is exactly what happened.
Heading into the 2017 regular season, Jalen Hurts picked up right where he left off, capitalizing on his athleticism and arm talent, while knocking off Clemson in the Sugar Bowl and returning to the big game. Though this game was no cake walk, as fans watched Jalen Hurts and the offense fall behind 13-0 in the first half. Despite his status as one of college footballs’ greats, Nick Saban made a business decision, benching Hurts for current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. This move was a smart one from Saban, as Tagovailoa wound up leading Alabama back to win the game, leading to the questions: Who will be the quarterback next season? What does this mean for Jalen Hurts’ career?
Following the offseason, Jalen Hurts had lost the quarterback battle, and would serve as the team’s backup for the foreseeable future. Despite this, Jalen didn’t transfer, never lost his cool, and maintained a very positive relationship with Tagovailoa, as his handling of this situation was exactly what coaches preach to players: “There is no I in team”.
While it wasn’t easy, Hurts was an undying light throughout the season, doing anything he could on and off the field to contribute, even playing running back at times. As he was well aware that the tables could turn, and he could be called upon once again to lead the offense. Ultimately, this mindset paid off in the SEC championship, as Tagovailoa went down with an injury while trailing in the fourth quarter, against the Georgia Bulldogs.
In a similar performance, Hurts led the team on an exciting comeback to win the SEC and punch Alabama’s ticket to the playoffs. While they didn’t win the championship, Hurts had redeemed himself, and made the decision to transfer to the University of Oklahoma.
During his season as a Sooner, Hurts led the team to a 12-1 record in regular season play, while earning them a spot in the playoffs. In addition, Jalen Hurts was second in Heisman voting that season, only behind Joe Burrow he had the greatest college season of all time at LSU, the same team who would knock off Hurts and Oklahoma in the playoffs.
Despite his great play all season, Hurts was once again doubted, as he fell to the Eagles with the 53rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, a team who had a seasoned starter in Carson Wentz. Though Hurts wasn’t fazed by this, he’d seen this story before, and once again it played out for the best.
By the start of the 2021 regular season, Jalen Hurts was the starter, and wound up leading the team to a playoff spot before losing to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Next season, Hurts wound up leading the team through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl, a close game in which Hurts ran for three touchdowns and passed for one, only to lose on the last play of the game by a field goal. Yet his dominant performance led Hurts to becoming the highest paid quarterback in the league that offseason.
Similar to many Super Bowl losers, the following season was a disappointing one for the Eagles. Despite a 10-1 start, the eagles lost five of their last six games, before losing 32-9 in the Wildcard round. This led many to question whether Hurts was indeed the future of the franchise, or just another one-hit-wonder.
With the fans breathing down his neck and doubters all around, Hurts’ had to prove his worth in 2024, but if this hadn’t fazed him before, he wasn’t going to let that change now.
During the 2024 season, Jalen Hurts was an afterthought on the Eagles roster, as he was surrounded by talent. Most notably, newcomer; Saquon Barkley. Though as the post season came around Jalen heated up, leading the Eagles to the #2 seed in the playoffs, and from there they looked unstoppable. Beating the Packers and Rams in the Wildcard and Divisional rounds, before dominating the Commanders in the NFC Championship, which punched their ticket to play the Chiefs once again, in Super Bowl 59.
In search of revenge, Hurts had the Eagles firing from the jump, rushing for a touchdown and throwing for one before taking a 24-0 halftime lead. Coming out of halftime, Hurts didn’t let up, passing for two more touchdowns and leading the team to a dominant 40-22 victory, all while earning himself Super Bowl MVP and putting his doubters to bed.
Jalen Hurts’ story and path to Super Bowl MVP serve as an inspiration to young athletes everywhere, proving that even when all seems lost, there is light at the end of the tunnel, if you’re willing to work for it.
