User:GhostRiver/hurts

Jalen Alexander Hurts (born August 7, 1998) is a professional American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).

Early life and high school career
Hurts was born on August 7, 1998, in Houston, Texas. His mother Pamela was a local educator, while his father Averion was the American football coach at Channelview High School. When he was 10 years old, Hurts assisted his father by acting as the Channelview ball boy and participating in practice drills with the team. He was inspired to become a quarterback by his brother Averion Jr., who had 3,500 passing yards and 50 touchdowns during his final year of high school. Averion Jr. told reporters in 2016, "Whatever I was doing, Jalen was right there behind me. And that kind of remained a constant factor growing up." Hurts's family did not steer him towards a particular sport, and he also grew up powerlifting and playing basketball.

Hurts decided to focus on football during his sophomore year of high school, his first year as the starting varsity team quarterback.

He was ranked a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Freshman season
Hurts committed to attend the University of Alabama and play for the Crimson Tide on June 6, 2015, matriculating for the 2016 season. Prior to his first full season of college football, Hurts, who matriculated early at Alabama, volunteered to imitate Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson in the Crimson Tide's preparation for the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. His performance in the simulated game put Hurts into competition for Alabama's starting quarterback role as a true freshman in 2016. Both Hurts and Blake Barnett played in Alabama's season opener, a 52–6 rout of the USC Trojans. Although Barnett started, Hurts had the stronger performance, completing six of 11 passes for 118 yards and adding another 32 yards on nine carries. The following week, Hurts received the start in Alabama's home opener against Western Kentucky, going 23-for-36 for 287 yards and two touchdowns in the 38–10 victory. The game also made Hurts the first true freshman starting quarterback for Alabama since Vince Sutton in 1984.

Scouting and draft
In February 2020, Hurts was one of four Oklahoma football players, alongside Neville Gallimore, CeeDee Lamb, and Kenneth Murray, to receive an invitation from the National Football League (NFL) to that year's NFL Scouting Combine. Although he was given the option of exercising as a running back or wide receiver at the Combine, Hurts declined, entering the event as a quarterback. When asked if he would consider switching positions at the professional level, Hurts told reporters, "I think I'm a quarterback. I think that's that".

Hurts' performances at the Combine and Oklahoma's Pro Day were praised by analysts. His 4.54-second time in the 40-yard dash was the third-fastest at his position, while both his vertical and broad jump were within the top five at his position.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Hurts 53rd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.

2020 season
While Carson Wentz was locked in as the Eagles' starting quarterback for the season, he had a reputation for injuries, which in the past had caused Philadelphia to rely on backup quarterbacks like Josh McCown and Nick Foles during postseason contention. Hurts's role that season, therefore, was both to develop as a quarterback and to serve as a young, reliable backup for Wentz.

2021 season
With Wentz traded to the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason, Hurts became the presumptive starting quarterback for the Eagles' season, and he was officially named to the role on August 31. Philadelphia opened the season with a 32–6 rout of the Atlanta Falcons, with Hurts going 27-for-35 for 264 yards, three touchdowns, no turnovers, and 62 rushing yards on seven carries.

The Eagles faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the 2021–22 NFL playoffs. Hurts, who was 21 years younger than opposing quarterback Tom Brady, became the youngest Philadelphia quarterback to start a postseason game in franchise history. The Eagles were blown out 31–15 by Tampa Bay, with Hurts completing 23 of 43 passes for 258 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, and running for 39 yards on 8 carries. Most of his passing yards came in the fourth quarter, which Philadelphia entered trailing 31–0.

2022 season
After the Eagles were eliminated from the 2021–22 playoffs, general manager Howie Roseman told reporters that Hurts would continue to serve as the team's starting quarterback for the season, and that they would utilize their three first-round selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to build around him. That offseason, Hurts underwent surgery on the ankle that had inhibited his running ability during the 2021 season.