Alabama Football: Top 5 potential transfer destinations for Jalen Hurts

As has long been expected, Alabama football quarterback Jalen Hurts has entered the transfer portal, meaning prospective teams can contact him. Where will he play in 2019?

Jalen Hurts said after the SEC Championship Game that his story was far from over. After a frustrating season sitting the bench and getting the mop-up duty beneath that of a two-year starter and former SEC offensive player of the year, Hurts finally got his moment in Atlanta against Georgia.

Facing the same Bulldogs team in the same building where he lost his starting job to a wunderkind lefty from Hawaii, Hurts entered the game in the fourth quarter for an injured Tua Tagovailoa with Alabama trailing by a touchdown. He quickly engineered two touchdown drives capped by a 15-yard touchdown run late in the fourth that proved to the game-winner.

Hurts spent the season humbled on the sideline, but never pouted. He chose to stay when so many choose to leave, bucking the popular opinion that he should leave in the middle of the season to preserve a second year of eligibility when he inevitably transferred from Alabama upon graduating in December.

In a difficult situation, Hurts stuck it out for his teammates. He was there for them when they needed him most in the SEC Championship, and forever cemented his legacy at the university.

The next chapter in his story appears to be unfolding as it has been reported that his name is in the NCAA transfer portal. His inclusion in the portal now gives programs the ability to contact him. There should be a quick resolution to Hurts’ transfer so that he can enroll in the spring semester and go through spring practice with whichever team he chooses.

There will be a long list of suitors for his services next season. True to his Dad’s word, Jalen Hurts will be one of the most sought after “free agents” in college football history. As a graduate, he’ll be immediately eligible to play next season wherever he goes.

Before we get to the likely landing spots for Hurts, let’s take a quick moment to rule out a few teams that will surely get mentioned over the next several days.

Auburn: Let’s dispel this notion right now. While Hurts would be a perfect schematic fit in Gus Malzahn’s offensive system, he will not play at Auburn next season. Hurts cemented himself as an Alabama legend, and I can’t imagine he would disparage that by going down to the Plains. Feel free to cold take this if it turns out to be wrong, but I would be shocked if Auburn is given any kind of consideration.

Arizona: The Wildcats would be number one on this list if Khalil Tate had elected to leave Tucson as a graduate transfer or declare of the NFL Draft. Instead, he elected to return to Arizona for his senior season. The Hurts family developed a great relationship with Kevin Sumlin when the coach was at Texas A&M.

Florida Atlantic: Lane Kiffin will push to bring Hurts to Boca Raton, with Kiffin being the primary recruiter of Hurts when he was the offensive coordinator at Alabama. If Kiffin had jumped to a power-five program this offseason instead of remaining at Florida Atlantic, wherever that program was would be a main contender for Hurts’ services. As is, he’ll have better opportunities than going to the C-USA.

Florida State: Deondre Francois unexpectedly decided to return to Florida State, likely taking them out of consideration for graduate transfer quarterbacks.

Houston: Houston is home, and the Cougars were one of the first programs to offer Hurts out of high school. They also just hired a head coach in Dana Holgorsen who runs an offense suited for Hurts and with a track-record of developing quarterbacks. The problem is rising senior D’Eriq King is already in the fold and is an excellent QB in his own right.

Tennessee: Going to the Vols would guarantee Hurts a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium next season against Alabama, something I’m guessing he’d like to avoid. The staff continuity would make them a contender that shouldn’t be discounted though, with former Tide defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt now the head coach in Knoxville. I’m not sure how aggressive Tennessee would be in their pursuit, however, with a solid young QB in Jarrett Guarantano already in the fold.

Texas A&M: The Aggies finished runner-up to Alabama in the 2016 recruiting cycle, although it was a completely different coaching staff at the time. Jimbo Fisher didn’t actively recruit Hurts when he was at Florida State. Texas A&M seems to be set at QB next season anyway with Kellen Mond running the show in College Station.

UCLA: UCLA has the need and a fun schematic fit with Chip Kelly’s offense, but the Bruins were trainwreck in 2018 and appear to be much more than just a QB away from being a PAC-12 contender next season. I imagine that Kelly will be active in pursuing Hurts, though, and UCLA should be thought of as a contender for his services.

With those out of the way, let’s examine the Top 5 potential transfer destinations for Hurts: