Jalen Hurts contemplated transferring to two other schools before choosing Oklahoma
Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts spent two seasons as the Tide’s primary signal-caller. He had his starting spot taken by sophomore Tua Tagovailoa during the 2018-2019 season. That is when events got interesting for the Texas native. After three seasons in Tuscaloosa, he elected to enter the transfer portal.
Originally, it was rumored Hurts was leaning toward transferring to Maryland because of his relationship with former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. Locksley was named as Maryland’s head coach in 2019.
According to a recent tweet by Charlie Potter, Hurts heavily considered transferring to either Miami or Maryland. However, coach Saban swayed him in another direction: “‘Who’s got the best players on offense?’ He said Oklahoma, and I said, ‘That’s where you need to go.’ … And hell, I told him to do it knowing that we might have to play against him.”
Hurts went on to have a stellar senior season with the Sooners. He was a Heisman finalist and led his team to a College Football Playoff appearance against LSU. Soon after the season, Hurts was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. It is interesting to think how Hurts’ career would have played out had he chosen either Miami or Maryland.
Saban said Jalen Hurts wanted to transfer to Maryland or Miami, but Saban asked him: "'Who's got the best players on offense?' He said Oklahoma, and I said, 'That's where you need to go.' … And hell, I told him to do it knowing that we might have to play against him."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 30, 2022
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Hurts’ professional career as well as other Alabama football news.
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