Professional Quarterback- Determination Through Adversity

Behind every professional athlete is an individual story of determined preparation to distinguish the hopeful player from many others with similar skills and dreams but less motivation to succeed. This is one of those career journey stories.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Jalen Hurts’ father was a high school football coach. His mother is a homemaker. 

CHILDHOOD DAYS

Football served as daycare for Jalen and his older brother, who spent their summers and autumns at their father’s high school stadium and field house, first as ball boys, then as quarterbacks. They learned a kind of stoicism, absorbing the admonition – not to get too high or too low, to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

As a boy pretending to be a football star, Jalen ran through the family’s yard, playing imaginary football games, juking past trees, his sister, and the family dog before carrying the ball across the imaginary goal line for an imaginary touchdown. 

EDUCATION

During high school, Jalen was coached in football by his father.  The player’s skills at passing, running, and leading a football offense led to an athletic scholarship at the University of Alabama, traditionally top-ranked, Division 1, major college football program.

As a student, Hurts paid attention to his academic courses and graduated with his degree in communications. 

EARLY CAREER SUCCESS

As the starting quarterback, Hurts led Alabama to a 26-2 record and a national championship before playing for another national championship at the conclusion of the 2017 college football season. During the first half of the championship game, Hurts had completed only 3 of 8 passes for a meager 21 yards. To his surprise, the Alabama coach decided to replace Hurts with a different quarterback, who the coach thought was a better passer, for the second half of the game. 

Despite deep, inner disappointment at the switch, Hurts outwardly and sincerely cheered on his quarterback replacement, who led Alabama from a 13-0 halftime deficit to win the game with an excellent, second half, football passing performance. 

CAREER SETBACKS MOTIVATE FUTURE DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED

Following the season ending championship game when Hurts visibly supported his teammate, he returned to his hotel room and later confessed to privately crying about his disappointment, while out of sight of his teammates, coaches, and the public. His father was there, to whom Hurts addressed a question: “What are we going to do now?” His father replied: “We don’t have any choice. We’ve got to fight.” 

(Editor – Note the use of the word “we” by both father and son, which obviously reflects the close relationship between a parent and child. The father will be there to support his child, at least emotionally. Not all children have the benefit of such parental support, but many are lucky to find it elsewhere among non-parental mentors such as other family members, teachers, or coaches. It is impossible to overstate the value of a mentor to any younger person in life, whether the guidance is focused on athletics or academics or general life lessons.)

At the outset of the next football season, Hurts was informed by the head coach that the quarterback who replaced him for the second half of the championship game, would be the first-string starter for the upcoming season. Hurts spoke to one of the assistant coaches about his feelings: “I was 26-2 as a starter and now I’m not the starter anymore” recalls the coach hearing from Hurts, who continued: “What do I tell people? How do I explain this? How do I walk around campus?” The coach felt at a loss to comfort Hurts, telling him “Compete and let life run its natural course. It usually rights itself in some way.”

Fortunately for Hurts, his parents had prepared their youngest son for such a moment. Said Hurts, “My father and my mother raised me to be a determined young man, a respectful young man, a man of character. I think in that moment, it was on display.”

Before he left Alabama, Hurts, who remained dedicated to improving his skills, particularly in the passing game, earned an opportunity for athletic redemption by being ready to take over for Alabama’s starting quarterback if he, like Hurts the year before, was unable to sufficiently move Alabama’s offense during the first half of the 2018 championship game. Hurts told the Alabama offensive coordinator before the game: “If last year’s situation is reversed, I’m ready so put me in.” Just like a year ago, Alabama was behind at halftime, the quarterback switch was made at halftime – this time to Hurts, who led the team for a comeback win from a halftime score deficit, to the 2018 national championship. 

Later, Hurts told the Alabama coach: “I told you, all you had to do was give me a chance.”

Hurts eventually transferred to Oklahoma – with a final year of college football eligibility after his graduation from Alabama – for the opportunity to display his multiple talents passing (which he had worked on) and running, to demonstrate his potential value to pro football teams before the next NFL draft of college football players. 

CAREER SATISFACTION

The professional football journey of Jalen Hurts is far from over as this interim story is written toward the end of the 2022 NFL season, when the Eagles, under his quarterback leadership and unselfish team play, are 13-1 in the incomplete, regular season standings, having already locked up a playoff berth.

In only his third pro season, Hurts can look back and realize that he had become “wiser, better, stronger” during his career at Alabama. His current coach, of the Philadelphia Eagles, agrees: “This guy is steady no matter what the situation.”

His Alabama offensive coordinator coach observed: “Because of what he went through at Alabama, he knew how to keep his head up, keep grinding. That was very beneficial to where he is today.”

Hurts’ older brother concurs: “He’s built for the journey, no question. He’s come through everything. He’s never been stuck in the storm. He’s gone through the storm.”

Beneath Hurts’ unflustered exterior, a teammate and best friend says that Hurts “still seems to be trying to prove doubters wrong. He always has a chip on his shoulder. I’m talking about a big chip on his shoulder.”

Hurts has since acknowledged, “I carry my scars with me everywhere I go. I don’t forget.”

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Editor’s note – This story is based upon an article written by Jere Longman, published within the New York Times website on 12/20/22. Because that account has been posted to a national readership, there is no reason to preserve the anonymity of the individual, per the usual procedure within this collection of career stories.