Alabama Football: Top 5 transfer destinations for Jalen Hurts
By Phil Poling
With the emergence of Tua Tagovailoa, it’s time for Jalen Hurts to seriously consider transferring from the Alabama football program. What are his options?
Alabama football isn’t used to having multiple quarterbacks who can actually compete – they’ve won a number of championships with nothing but a running game and a terrorizing defense – but now they have two signal-callers who have created quite the controversy for the No. 1 team in all of college football.
Junior Jalen Hurts seems to have taken a backseat to sophomore Tua Tagovailoa ever since last season’s College Football Championship. After leading the Crimson Tide to a 13-1 season, Hurts was pulled at halftime of the title game in favor of the 5-star recruit Tagovailoa. It all worked out for head coach Nick Saban, as the Tide scored 26 second-half points and defeated Georgia in overtime, 26-23.
Saban’s done nothing but create controversy surrounding his quarterback position, though. He failed to pick a starter for the Louisville game, opting instead to list Hurts and Tagovailoa as co-starters. Then, following their win versus the Cardinals, Saban responded to ESPN reporter Maria Taylor’s question – that everyone knew was coming – like a child. She asked what he learned from each of his quarterbacks, and Saban snapped.
"Well, I still like both guys. Both guys are good players. I think both guys can help our team, alright?” You could see the irritation growing in Saban’s face as he continued to whine. “So why do you continually try to get me to say something that doesn’t respect one of them? I’m not going to, so quit asking."
Saban could’ve easily answered, “Hurts played well in a limited role, but we’re going to continue starting Tua. He gives us the best opportunity to win,” and things would’ve been over-and-done with. Instead, Saban’s child-like answer was the topic following their impressive win rather than how great his starter played.
Now the conversation shifts to Jalen Hurts – what’s next for him? Reports indicate the Hurts will redshirt in 2018 and look for a new home next season. Where could the former 4-star quarterback from Texas take his talents? We’ve got five destinations that make sense for Hurts.