Jalen Hurts: Adversity faced at Alabama fueled Super Bowl journey, career achievements

Throughout his career, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has consistently been questioned. That’s a challenge he’s faced going back to his college career with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

With Hurts leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl, many of those questions about him are fading away. However, for Hurts himself, it’s that adversity that he’s faced that he believes fueled his journey to winning a Super Bowl.

“I’m that same kid that went to the national championship and lost,” Jalen Hurts said after the game. “And went back and got benched and had to transfer. Had to go through this just unprecedented journey. That kid always kept the main thing the main thing and always was true to his vision of what he saw. It’s only the beginning until it’s the end, and the end ain’t coming anytime soon.”

While at Alabama, Jalen Hurts led Alabama to a National Championship Game. There, he was benched at halftime for a younger Tua Tagovailoa. He’d return the next season to backup Tagovailoa before transferring to Oklahoma. That benching, and his response to it, became what most people today remember about his incredibly successful college career.

Upon getting to the NFL, he earned the starting job in Philadelphia and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl in the 2022-23 season. There, Hurts played phenomenally, throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 70 yards and another three touchdowns, but lost. From there, Hurts’ play seemed to take a slight step backward, at times not being consistent, leading to more questions about him as a quarterback that have continued to fuel him.

It fueled him all the way to once again leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl, this time winning in dominant fashion. Again, Hurts needed to come up massive, throwing for 221 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 72 yards and another touchdown.

“Things come right on time. The last time around it wasn’t our time, it wasn’t my time. Sometimes you have to accept that you have to wait your turn. Dealing with everything that came with the last Super Bowl is — you still kind of leave it empty a little bit,” Hurts said. “Because as great as the performance was, it wasn’t enough to win. I think going through those emotions and processing those things and processing that experience lit a great flame in me and enhanced my desire to win.”

Today, Jalen Hurts has overcome that adversity. Today, he is a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP, and nothing will change that fact.