Mac Jones reflects on what he learned from Jalen Hurts at Alabama

When Mac Jones arrived at Alabama, Jalen Hurts already was the established quarterback. This was back in 2017. The older QB already had led the Crimson Tide to a national title game and was aiming for another.

And Jones, who now is the starting quarterback for the Patriots, said it was the first year in Tuscaloosa that taught him so much about Hurts, his good friend. He learned about tenacity and focus and mostly how to retain your class and confidence when football rocks your soul.

In 2017, the Tide beat Clemson in the CFP semifinals, with Hurts earning MVP game honors. But in the championship against Georgia, Alabama fell behind 13-0 at halftime. Coach Nick Saban pulled Hurts in favor of true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. The Tide won the national title, but Hurts lost his starting job. He spent 2018 as an active backup, but he transferred to Oklahoma for his final year of eligibilty.

Meanwhile, Mac Jones soaked it all in, as Jalen Hurts handled his drop to second team and as Tua Tagovailoa became the next big thing. Jones, finally, received his chance in 2019, when he stepped in for an injured Tua. And by 2020, he helped the Tide to another national title.

All three quarterbacks are in the NFL now. The Eagles selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft. He’s the only one of the three to reach a Super Bowl. The Dolphins picked Tagovailoa with the sixth pick of the 2020 draft. And then the Patriots selected Jones with the 15th pick of the 2021 draft.

Now Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts go head to head to open the season, with the Patriots playing host to the Eagles Sunday afternoon. Bill Belichick, Jones’ coach, already proclaimed Hurts as maybe the best player in the NFL. Reporters also asked Jones to share memories about his time playing with Hurts.

“Obviously, a great player,” Jones said this week. “I’ve been fortunate to play with him, and I learned a lot from him. Definitely a great quarterback, and I just think back on the times we had. I’m just really proud of him and everything he’s done in the NFL. …

“I think there’s a lot of learning lessons. I definitely took a lot of that. Loved to see him bounce back and do a great job. In college, he went through a lot, transferred and played well everywhere he’s been. It’s just who he is. It’s Jalen Hurts. He’s just a great player, great person and a good friend.”

Maybe Jones can be a Hurts kind of tenacious this fall. After making the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he spent part of 2022 dealing with a bad ankle. His stats slipped and he had to watch rookie Bailey Zappe start and win twice in his absence.

And Jones said Hurts taught him another aspect of his game. That was staying well conditioned.

“Me and him were always running against each other,” Jones said. “He is definitely faster than me, but I feel like I gave him a good run for his money. I learned a lot from him, just stuff like that, leading off the field and like the fourth-quarter program we had. He just always did such a good job running, leading, never showed a lot of emotion, just did his thing, and I actually learned a lot from him there. Then, obviously, on the field there is a bunch of stuff, too, so I really appreciate him.”

So before the game and afterwards, you’ll probably see Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts shaking hands, maybe even exchanging jerseys. And we’ll see how much more Jones picked up from his friend.