A Fox Sports analyst is not for Alabama football and its fans claiming Jalen Hurts.
Joel Klatt says it’s ‘comical’ that Crimson Tide fans claim Hurts. He said he is sure that Hurts has a big place in his heart for Alabama, but ‘he had to leave.’ Klatt said you can argue that Hurts has the biggest success away from Alabama. He achieved a record of 26-2 for the Tide in two years as a starter. Hurts became the first true freshman to start in the Nick Saban era, set single-season school records, and guided Alabama to two national championship games. He came off the bench in the 2018 SEC Championship matchup, replacing an injured Tua Tagovailoa, and rescued the Tide to a conference title over Georgia.
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Hurts also earned his degree from the University of Alabama. People look at Oklahoma as the place that polished him for the 2020 NFL Draft, but it was his final year in Tuscaloosa that started it. Saban hired Dan Enos in 2018 to be a quarterbacks coach.
Enos worked with Hurts’ mechanics, and it helped him. The native Texan totaled eight touchdown passes to two interceptions.
Klatt said the reason Hurts is who he is came from his ability to transfer.
“Hey Bama and Ohio State, you don’t get to claim Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts” @JoelKlatt lays down the law 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/WgCwAUDhDF
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) January 30, 2023
He ended his statement with, ‘Hurts is for OU.’
Klatt makes some points but Hurts spent three seasons at Alabama as opposed to one in Oklahoma. Crimson Tide fans watched him grow into the product that the Sooners received. He talks like Nick Saban, wears Alabama gear to press conferences, and said the uncomfortable experience of getting benched in the national championship game made him who he is.
Alabama will claim him for a lifetime.
Hurts is the fourth former Tide quarterback to lead his NFL team to a Super Bowl appearance.
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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.
