As much as some may try to have him bad mouth Alabama or wanting the program to bad mouth him, there is so much love when it comes to the Crimson Tide and its fans for Jalen Hurts.
In his three seasons (2016-18), he gave everything he had to the Tide and represented the school in a first-class way.
He led Alabama to a Southeastern Conference Championship in 2016 and came off the bench in 2018 to rescue the team to another conference title.
He played a crucial role in guiding the team to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the 2017 season and despite getting benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the second half, it was Hurts demonstrating humility and the mark of strong character in supporting the native Hawaiian.
His decision to transfer to Oklahoma – prior to the 2019 season – led to him 5,180 yards offensively with 53 total touchdowns.
Hurts was awarded Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and named first-team All-Big 12. He carried the institution to a conference championship and punched its ticket into the CFP.
The native Texan is now back at Alabama, as he will be the quarterback for Team South in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Ala.
According to Christina Chambers of WBRC Fox 6 News, Hurts is happy to be back in the Yellowhammer State.
“Being back here, a lot of love. One of the workers at the hotel let me have it in terms of screaming……”@JalenHurts talks about being back in Alabama + the @seniorbowl @WBRCnews pic.twitter.com/F2hY4Kzm4w
— ChristinaWBRC (@ChristinaWBRC) January 21, 2020
“Being back here, it’s a lot of love,” Hurts said.
“I am appreciative for it all. I get on the elevator, one of the workers at the hotel we stayed at… I guess she, she let me have it in terms of screaming. Just stuff like that, that is just special to me.”
Hurts is also at the event with four of his former teammates from the Tide in Raekwon Davis, Terrell Lewis, Jared Mayden and Anfernee Jennings.
The trio of Davis, Mayden and Lewis all were signed in the 2016 recruiting class with Hurts.
Lewis said he and Hurts have been bonding together since they arrived in Mobile.
“As soon as Jalen got here, he and I linked up,” Lewis said. “We just caught up and we’ve been walking around here chilling with each other since he got here.”
Throughout the week, Hurts has been working on his mechanics at quarterback for NFL coaches and scouts. He does not see himself playing another position at the next level.
RELATED: Alabama great not pleased with Jalen Hurts’ double-sided Senior Bowl helmet
“I think I am a quarterback,” Hurts said.
“I have played it and that’s what I intend on working on and continuing to play. I think you see a lot of different transitions now in the league, in terms of the style of at the quarterback position, so the biggest thing right now is just learning everything and going out there executing things at a high level.”
This year’s NFL Draft will be from April 23-25 in Paradise, Nev.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
