00:00Throughout a rollercoaster journey, Jalen Hurts' career has been defined by trying to control the uncontrollable.
00:07Imagine being the guy, only to have it all taken from you in the blink of an eye as you
00:12watch someone else take your shine with no guarantee you'll ever see success again.
00:18Would you fold like a lawn chair or fight back?
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00:46If you've ever heard a quote from Jalen Hurts, I wouldn't fault you for thinking he's a crooked pastor.
00:52Talking in circles, dropping countless idioms that ultimately read like gibberish.
00:57Take his 2019 stance on leadership, for example.
01:01Nobody drops an entire coffee bean into a boiling pot of water because that's simply just not how that works,
01:07but the point seems to be that Hurts has prepped himself to withstand adversity and be solid for his teammates
01:12through thick and thin.
01:14Now, he could have just flat out said that, but with added context, his message, while still nonsense, reads a
01:22little more clearly.
01:24Hurts said this in college before ever taking a snap with the Oklahoma Sooners after being shown the door by
01:29the school that had previously made him a star.
01:32You don't just willingly remove yourself from a dream scenario in a winning program without being pushed toward that direction.
01:38It was kinda out of his hands.
01:41More on that later, but at OU, instead of having to decipher his riddles, Hurts led his game to the
01:48talking.
01:48In just one season in Norman, Hurts dropped eye-popping numbers, leading the Sooners to the college football playoff, all
01:55while finishing second in the Heisman race.
01:58His season was an incredible testament to betting on oneself and reaping the benefits that come with it.
02:04It was Hurts taking full control of his destiny, but to land with Oklahoma, he was first stripped of everything.
02:11For those of you shouting, but he's a product of Alabama, I told you earlier, I would get there.
02:18As a highly rated dual-threat QB playing high school ball in Texas, Hurts initially signed with the Crimson Tide.
02:24He entered one of college football's most prestigious programs as a true freshman with a swaggering attitude that the team
02:30was already his, which he ultimately proved it was.
02:33In two seasons with the Tide, Hurts marked his name all throughout the school's record books, racked up accolades, and
02:41quarterbacked the University of Alabama to back-to-back national championships.
02:45In such a small window, journalists debated his position amongst the greatest signal callers in program history.
02:52Then came the 2017 national championship.
02:56After earning MVP during the semifinal win a week earlier, Hurts put up a stinker in the first half of
03:02the natty as Bama went into halftime, trailing the University of Georgia 13-0.
03:07The Tide's offense looked lifeless with Hurts on the center, and in an attempt to shake things up, Alabama head
03:14coach Nick Saban did the unthinkable.
03:16He benched his reliable playmaker and rolled with a true freshman QB with just eight games of backup experience under
03:23his belt.
03:23What seemed like an extremely ballsy move, ultimately netted the Tide their second title in three seasons.
03:32Hurts was a champion, but after being the guy that got him there, he mostly became an afterthought, watching from
03:37the sidelines as new quarterback Tua Tungavaloa and Saban reaped all the glory.
03:43Hurts took the benching in stride and spoke glowingly about Tua's talents post-game, but behind closed doors, the loss
03:50took a toll on him.
03:51Getting demoted on the game's biggest stage didn't necessarily signal a bright future for Hurts at Bama, but he wasn't
03:58prepared to give up.
03:59Which meant what exactly? He had options to ponder.
04:04With two years of eligibility left, the QB was free to transfer and despite being recently benched, would certainly garner
04:11interest from other schools.
04:13However, he would have to sit out a season and the decision could potentially screw up his academics as he
04:19was set to graduate from Bama in December.
04:21He could also switch positions altogether.
04:25Now, there was never any indication that Hurts himself had considered the idea, but ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kuyper
04:32Jr. believed it would benefit him.
04:34Kuyper thought Hurts didn't have the goods to be a pro QB, so I guess it would make sense for
04:40him to get a jump on things and make a change if Hurts saw a future in the NFL.
04:44There, of course, was the option to stay and compete at Alabama, but he had no control over who would
04:50start.
04:50And if he were to lose out, speaking for myself at least, I don't know if I could keep a
04:55cool head constantly watching the dude who took my job and be buddy-buddy with the coaches who made the
05:01call to do so.
05:02Or, he could just hang up his cleats, which seemed like a reality.
05:08Following the championship game, Hurts found himself in a dark place considering stepping away from football altogether.
05:14He was lost.
05:16However, he ultimately decided that his best path forward was a battle for the role that had been taken from
05:21him.
05:22But that didn't stop outside parties from trying to dictate his future.
05:26Media speculation had Hurts dipping for Bama if he didn't win the starting job, unwilling to be the guy to
05:32stick around and hold the clipboard for Tua.
05:34Saban even seemed to be prepping for the moment after signing former East Carolina quarterback Gardner Minshew, who later flipped.
05:42Hell, even Jalen's own dad fanned the flames.
05:47Saban didn't allow either of his QBs to speak with the media initially, and while everyone had their opinions on
05:53what Hurts should do, when he was free to speak, he seemed fed up with the whole thing.
05:58Mostly, he was a bit salty that Saban kind of threw him under the bus about his future with the
06:03team, and he had to reassure his coach that he was committed to Alabama, whether he was the guy or
06:08not.
06:08He also felt frustrated about the narrative spiraling into something larger than it should have been.
06:15He understood that he couldn't speak for his coaches and didn't have control of how the media spun things, but
06:20believed the folks at Alabama had plenty of opportunities to step to him and at least see where his head
06:25was at.
06:26In a situation involving your livelihood, I wouldn't want anyone else speaking for me either, so I feel him.
06:33Saban wouldn't provide a clear answer on who was the favorite headed into camp, and while Hurts was ready to
06:38put his best foot forward, again, the decision wasn't his to make.
06:43His confidence was shaken and was reduced to cheering on the guy who snatched his job as Tua led the
06:48Tide to the SEC Championship with a shot at the playoffs on the line.
06:53Except, Jalen's decision to stay became proof of something larger.
06:58As Bama trailed UGA heading into the fourth quarter of that conference championship game, Tua went down with an injury,
07:04and with the roles reversed, Hurts was set to be the hero.
07:08He stepped in and led the Tide on two scoring drives in 10 minutes, one through the air and the
07:14other on the ground, to give Alabama the lead and ultimately secure the conference title.
07:19Before he could ever take charge of a game again, Hurts first had to control himself.
07:25By trying his hand at Bama, he put the decision in Saban's hands, unable to name himself the starter, but
07:31when his moment came, he answered the call.
07:34He readied himself for the success that came in Alabama and regained that control by transferring to Oklahoma, where he
07:41again proved his worth before eventually declaring for the 2020 draft.
07:46Just to recount, this is a dude who started his collegiate career as a true freshman, led one of CFB's
07:52historically elite programs to consecutive title appearances while etching his name in their school record books,
07:58and then somehow one-upped all that with a totally different program and would have surely won the Heisman if
08:05it weren't for LSU's Joe Burrow,
08:07who had arguably the greatest single season by a quarterback in college football history.
08:12Getting benched in a championship game is certainly a nasty blemish on that resume,
08:17but you would have think he would have bought himself in good favor in the way he handled himself to
08:21bounce back.
08:22Which wasn't the case.
08:24When Hurts declared for the draft, there were mixed opinions on how his game would translate to the pros.
08:30Scouts believe he had several things to improve on if he were to pursue a quarterback role in the NFL,
08:36and despite the doubts, he had no plans to switch positions in the pros.
08:40His draft stock was all over the place.
08:44Some saw him as a mid-to-late pick in rounds 5 and 7, others saw him slotting somewhere between
08:49rounds 2 and 4.
08:51So, it came as a bit of a shock when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him 53rd overall.
08:57Media members not only believed it was an insane reach, but the previous season,
09:02Philly had just extended their franchise QB Carson Wentz to a long-term deal.
09:07It seemed foolish to waste a valuable draft pick on a player who might not see the field for years,
09:13if at all.
09:14And just like that, Hurts had to sit and wait for his time again.
09:19He obviously couldn't control which team drafted him,
09:22but he chose to carry himself with the same confidence and humility he had when he transferred to Oklahoma.
09:27He's stuck on the coffee bean thing, but whatever the poor analogy, when his opportunity did come, Hurts again rose
09:35to the occasion.
09:37After a string of poor performances by Wentz during the 2020 season,
09:41Philly benched the QB they wagered their future on and turned to the rookie, never looking back.
09:46Hurts not only stepped in, but he thrived.
09:49In 2022, just his second season as the full-time starter, the young QB had a massive breakout season,
09:57playing his way well into MVP discussions as he led the Eagles all the way to the Super Bowl.
10:03It just wasn't handed to him.
10:05He obviously had no control over Wentz turning into a pumpkin and flaming out,
10:09but was in full command of his preparation as a backup,
10:12and when the main guy got demoted, he stepped in and acted as if the spot was made for him.
10:17It's like he's been there before or something.
10:21Philly went on to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57,
10:24and Hurts put on an all-time performance,
10:27landing himself in uncharted territory by a Super Bowl quarterback.
10:31He was nearly perfect with the one thing fully in his control, his performance.
10:37But with under two minutes left and the score still tied,
10:40Kansas City faced a third down deep in Eagles territory.
10:44A Patrick Mahomes pass fell incomplete,
10:46and the door was wide open for Hurts to get one more shot.
10:49Instead, a questionable holding penalty on the Eagles defense erased the incompletion,
10:55handed Kansas City a fresh set of downs,
10:57and let the clock bleed out before a go-ahead field goal sealed it.
11:02It's the kind of heartbreaking loss that can forever kill a competitor's spirit.
11:06The kind where you do everything right and the game still gets taken out of your hands.
11:11But it only seemed a few old Hurts.
11:13After a disappointing first-round exit the following season,
11:17Philly retooled and during the 2024 campaign found themselves in a Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs.
11:24Except, that time around,
11:26Hurts and the Birds wouldn't be denied exacting their revenge with an ass-whooping as Hurts took home MVP.
11:33And if you thought Hurts wasn't Defy Myes' journey, you thought wrong.
11:37While reflecting on the win, the QB discussed how low he felt going home empty-handed on the game's biggest
11:44stage last time,
11:45but specifically pointed out that he showed up for his team and didn't hit the bench as he had in
11:50college.
11:51He kept halves his entire career, and it's molded him.
11:55If nothing else matters but winning, then Jalen has truly reached that mark.
12:00But none of his success came easily, and at each turn, he stayed grounded and fought back.
12:06Not because adversity didn't touch him, but because he decided long ago how he would respond whenever it did.
12:13Just like a good old coffee bean would.
12:25Thank you for watching this episode of PRISM.
12:27Reminder to never give up on yourself, because if no one else believes in you, you gotta make sure that
12:33you at least do.
12:34Okay, that's enough of the inspirational talk, and if you want to check out more of our videos,
12:39we got plenty more heat for you right here on YouTube.
12:48We'll see you next time.
