Jalen Hurts: College Superstar, Low Draft Stock

Day 1 of the NFL Draft is one of the most prestigious days in sports. The most talented college football players get their names called in front of millions of fans both in the stands and at home. That however, will not likely be the case for one of the most talented college football players of all time, Jalen Hurts. Hurts had an outstanding college football career that included some impressive numbers. During his 4 years as a college football quarterback Hurts boasted a successful total of 9,477 passing yards, 3,274 rushing yards, and 124 total touchdowns; all while only throwing 19 interceptions and having a career completion percentage of 65 percent. Hurts posted these numbers as a 3 year starter. Even though Hurts posted these video game type numbers during his college career, he did have to endure some hardships.

The 2018 National Championship game was a very low point in Jalen Hurts’ career. Though his team the Alabama Crimson Tide won the big game, Hurts had one of the worst games of his college career throwing 3-8 for only 21 yards; his team was down at the half 13-0 to the Georgia Bulldogs. This led to Hurts being benched. This game was the beginning of the end of Hurts’ career at the University of Alabama. Hurts’ former backup Tua Tagovailoa was named the following season starter and Hurts handled it gracefully. Hurts backed up Tua all season and waited for his opportunity. His opportunity eventually came on December 1st 2018, against the same Georgia Bulldogs. Tua went down in the 4th quarter with an injury and Hurts took over with the team down 28-21. This game was almost as big as the first, the winner of this game would advance to the 2019 National Championship Game. With 5:20 left to play Hurts threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jerry Jeudy, tying the game at 28. His biggest moment was yet to come, with 1:04 left Hurts rushed for a 15 yard game winning touchdown completing an exceptional comeback. Head Coach Nick Saban was in tears after the game stating “I’m so proud of this guy for what he’s done this year I can’t even tell you.” Jalen would later transfer that offseason taking his talents to Oklahoma, to play his senior season under Head Coach Lincoln Riley. Hurts saved his best season for last as he threw for 3,851 yards, and 32 touchdowns, while having a nearly 70% completion percentage. He also rushed for 1,298 yards and another 20 touchdowns. These numbers were good enough for Hurts to be the Heisman Trophy runner up. Oklahoma finished the season ranked 4th in the nation but was eliminated in the playoffs by the eventual champions LSU, ending Hurts’ magical college football career. 

According to NFL.com Hurts is the number 6 quarterback draft prospect despite his fantastic college resume. Despite being one of the most winningest and successful college quarterbacks of all time Jalen Hurts is often criticized for his abilities as a passer. These criticisms have hurt his draft stock and have made him a projected 3rd to 4th round pick. Some of these criticisms have even led to coaches wondering whether or not quarterback is the appropriate position for Hurts. Hurts ran a blazing 4.59 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. His elite rushing skills and tremendous speed have made many NFL personnel executives wonder if he is more suited to play running back in the pros. When asked about a potential position change Hurts said, “I’ve always been a team first guy, but I think I’m a quarterback. I think that’s that." With his 6'2 frame and incredible speed, Hurts can easily become a dynamic duel threat quarterback given the proper offense.

Jalen Hurts built a legacy in his 4 years as a college football player. He showed tremendous leadership as well as big play making ability, leading his teams to an outstanding record of 36-4 as a starter. When Nick Saban was asked about Hurts’ incredible start to his senior season he said “Jalen is a very mature guy. Great competitor, unique skillset, and improved dramatically last year when he wasn’t playing as a passer. Because he worked at it, he had a good coach, and he knew that was something that he needed to get better at, and it doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m actually happy for the guy. There’s never been a guy that — anywhere in college football — that did things more correctly and set a better example as a leader than Jalen Hurts did while he was here by staying here after he was replaced as a starter. I have the utmost respect for this guy as a person and as a competitor. I’m glad to see him doing well.” Jalen Hurts likely won’t hear his name called until the second day of the NFL Draft, however if history proves anything it is certain that he will make the most of any opportunity he is given. 

XFL Football Boom or Bust?

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A failed league makes its nationwide return, The XFL season is now two weeks in and the league seems to have hit the ground running, viewership is at an all time high and the level of talent is better than many expected. The league has brought in many smart businessmen including Oliver Luck to run the day to day operations for the league. The XFL had a brief stint in 2001, WWE CEO Vince McMahon and other investors invested nearly $35 million into the league. The league only lasted one season and was later labeled a "colossal failure" by McMahon himself. The league was criticized by many for being more about "sports entertainment" than actual football, there was also a very low level of talent in the league. The first few games of the 2001 XFL season had a very high number in views however, things eventually took a turn for the worse and viewership nosedived. So the question now is, will the XFL be a successful alternative to players who are trying to make it to the NFL? Or, will the league be the one year bust it was before?

According to ESPN the XFL brought in a total of 12 million viewers through its four games.  Following the first week of the XFL season Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd was very impressed with the level of play in the XFL. He stated that the XFL "Hit it out of the park" in the first week of the season. Viewership is not the only thing working for the XFL, the league has also done a good job selling tickets. Per TickPick ticket sales, ticket purchase orders for Weeks 1 and 2 of the XFL are a massive 1,427% higher than the first two weeks of last year’s AAF. Per NBC sports a total of 76,285 fans attended the four games league wide during week 2, with the Seattle Dragons leading the way with 29,172 fans attending their game. With all of the excitement buzzing around the league it seems that ticket sales are only going up. 

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Former NFL players have been the biggest stars in the XFL so far, one of the biggest is former Carolina Panthers running back Cameron Artis-Payne. Artis-Payne was on the Panthers' 2016 roster that made it to the Super Bowl. He was drafted by the Dallas Renegades with the 20th pick overall in the XFL Draft. In week 2 Artis-Payne ran for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 carries, he also caught 5 passes for 32 yards. He is currently the single game leader in rushing yards. There are also many other former NFL players who are starting on XFL teams such as quarterback Cardale Jones, quarterback Landry Jones, running back Elijah Hood, and most notably former Pro Bowl punter Marquette King. These players were all very capable and accomplished college football players however, they just weren't able to cut it as a first stringer in the NFL. The quality of football has proven to be better than college, however it is nowhere close to the quality of the NFL.

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The biggest change Vince McMahon made when recreating the XFL is taking a more laid back approach and bringing in Oliver Luck to run the daily operations. Oliver Luck has implemented many changes that are not considered to be apart of traditional football. For example, teams don't kick an extra point after scoring a touchdown. When going for a point after attempt or PAT teams can decided to go for either one point from the two yard line, two points from the five yard line, or three points from the 10 yard line. Sunday the first successful three point attempt was converted when Josh Johnson connected with Adonis Jennings in the end zone. When asked about the changes Oliver Luck said "What we did is listen to fans, and what they told us is that they love this game, but they would like it at a little more of a faster pace and with a little more excitement. They thought there is too much idle time. We tried to listen to what they didn't want, also. They didn't want gimmicks or things that were inauthentic. They also didn't want to be complicit when it comes to player safety. So what we wanted to do is take a great game and make it a little better." The new PAT rules have added a new level of difficulty and excitement to the game.

The league that once failed to last longer than a season is back and seems to be getting the attention of football fans. The quality of football and the names that have been brought into the league have been nothing shy of good and competitive. With players such as Cameron Artis-Payne and Cardale Jones leading the way, it is certain that the high level of football isn't going anywhere. Smart businessmen such as Oliver Luck have listened to the fans and have brought some new excitement to the game of football. The league seems to have a solid foundation and has seem to have found the resources to do well. The question still remains, Will the XFL be able to flourish as a league? Or, will history repeat itself and be a "colossal failure"?