He has outplayed his rookie contract by reaching the Super Bowl, but all eyes Sunday night will be on Jalen Hurts.
He’s worked hard for this opportunity that started in his three years at the University of Alabama. He enjoyed success, learned from adversity, and is now on the biggest stage in the National Football League. Hurts has a chance to create history for the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban. His father, Averion Hurts Sr., has been with him throughout the journey. Averion was Jalen’s high school football coach in Channelview, Texas. He taught his son more than football, Jalen learned life from his dad. Averion was featured last week on The Paul Finebaum Show. He revealed to the ESPN analyst the secret to his son’s success in the pros.
Great visit with Averion Hurts Sr. While Jalen Hurts’ journey to the Super Bowl has been a surprise to some, not his father. pic.twitter.com/lJwLFxo9L5
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) February 8, 2023
“I’ve always felt that God had him on this journey,” Hurts said about his son advancing to the Super Bowl.
RELATED: Jalen Hurts prepared for Super Bowl-like moments since he was 17 at Alabama
“Nothing we could do was going to change it. He had three great years at Alabama, met some great people, learned a lot, and he grew up. I always say ‘I dropped a 17-year-old boy off in January, and when I came back he was a grown man.’ So, you know everything leads up to it. When you know how hard he works and how diligent he is at his craft, I always tell people ‘I don’t bet against him’ because I understand how he approaches it. I told Coach Saban and Coach Riley that he is a different cat, and that means he is very disciplined, knows what he wants, and is not afraid to put in work to get it.”
Hurts’ mentality has him in Super Bowl LVII for the Philadelphia Eagles. A victory would make him the first black quarterback in Alabama history and the first signal-caller in the Saban era for the Tide to win a Super Bowl.
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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.
