Super Bowl LVII: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will make his Super Bowl debut Sunday (Feb. 12) in the NFL’s biggest game of the season. But the 24-year-old flamethrower is no stranger to the spotlight. The standout high school player led the mighty University of Alabama Crimson Tide during the team's championship years.
No matter the outcome, Hurts will make history when he squares off against Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII. The matchup marks the first time that a Super Bowl features two Black starting quarterbacks.
"I think it's history. I think it's something that's worthy of being noted and it is history. It's come a long way. I think it's only been seven African-American quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl, so to be the first for something is pretty cool. I know it will be a good one," Hurts told reporters about the significance of the game, according to NFL.com.
For generations, Black athletes fought stereotypes claiming that Black athletes lack the intelligence to play quarterback. In the 1987 season, the Washington Commanders’ Doug Williams crushed that biased thinking when he became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl.
If Hurts wins, he will be just the fourth Black quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy, joining Williams, Russell Wilson, and Mahomes.
Here are five things to know about Hurts at this historic moment in Black sports history:
He was a high school football star
Hurts, a Houston native, was rated the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation at Channelview High School, where his father, Averion Hurts Sr., served as head coach, according to NFL.com.
As a senior, he recorded 26 touchdown passes and rushed for a career-high 1,391 yards and 25 touchdowns.
His father’s nurturing was instrumental in Hurts’ early development as a quarterback. Jalen fondly recalls rides home from high school football practice with his dad when the instruction continued in the car.
"It's just in your blood. I remember as a kid I always wore a shirt that said, 'Born To Play Football.' I was born into this stuff because of my dad. I'm happy it happened that way," Jalen said in 2016 during the Peach Bowl media day, according to USA Today.
Standout college player
After high school, Hurts enrolled at the University of Alabama and became the first freshman starting quarterback in coach Nick Saban’s career. In fact, Hurts was the Crimson Tides’ first true freshman quarterback since Vince Sutton in 1984. Hurts finished the season 13-1 and was selected as Freshman All-American by USA Today and ESPN.
Hurts played at Alabama from 2016-18 as starting QB before Tua Tagovailoa took over in Hurts’ junior year. As Alabama’s quarterback, Hurts was part of two SEC championship teams and won one national championship.
After three seasons at Alabama, Hurts transferred to the University of Oklahoma in 2019. He led the Sooners to a Big 12 title and playoff appearances. He finished second that year in the Heisman Trophy competition, college football’s highest achievement award, to LSU’s Joe Burrow.
He surpassed NFL expectations
It appears that NFL scouts didn’t foresee Hurts as a Super Bowl starting QB. He was given a 6.14 prospect rating, meaning that he was considered “a good backup with the potential to develop into a starter.”
The NFL’s highest rating is 8.0, “the perfect prospect.” At 6.14, Hurts wasn’t considered a prospective All-Pro talent. Scouts considered Hurts comparable to University of Florida’s quarterback Tim Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner who didn’t succeed in the NFL.
Still, the Eagles drafted Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft as the 53rd overall selection.
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He's about his business
One of the ways Hurts is cashing in on his stardom and gridiron success is through building a clothing line. In June, Hurts filed a trademark application for “Hurts So Good” with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office. He intends to use the play on his name for the adults and children apparel.
He loves him some Anita Baker
After a tough victory, Hurts usually puts on his headphones and unwinds to the soulful voice of a legendary R&B songstress.
“I’ll put my Anita Baker on and take this flight home and try and enjoy it with my teammates,” he revealed to FOX’s Pam Oliver, who asked him in December how he would celebrate a tough victory over the Chicago Bears.
Hurt’s comments caught Baker’s attention. She responded with “CONGRATS!” Hurts later invited the Detroit native to Philadelphia to perform the “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the Eagle’s NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.
