Jalen Hurts primed to be Lincoln Riley’s next Heisman Trophy winner

2. Jalen ‘s dual-threat ability is a perfect fit for Riley’s system 

There have been fair criticisms over the last few years about Jalen Hurts’ ability as a passer, but there are no questions about his talent as a runner.

In his two seasons starting for Alabama, Hurts topped 850 rushing yards both years. For his career, he has rushed for 1976 yards and 23 touchdowns on 5.2 yards-per-carry. This is despite being in an offense that rarely took advantage of his most obvious skills.

That will change under Lincoln Riley, who has proven that he can adjust his offense to maximize the skill-set of his quaterback. Oklahoma finished No. 1 in offensive efficiency in 2017 and 2018 with very different offensive approaches.

Baker Mayfield was a ruthlessly efficient passer who could read defenses better than any QB in the country, a fact that ultimately led him to being the No. 1 overall pick by the Browns, where he just put together a spectacular rookie season. Mayfield could run, but rarely did, instead bouncing around the pocket and waiting for open receivers. His legs were utilized as a last resort.

With Kyler Murray this year, Riley tailored the offense to take more advantage of his dual threat skill-set. Murray threw for over 4,300 yards and ran for over 1,000 more. Riley is likely to utilize a similar offense in 2019 to suit Hurts, potentially with even more designed QB runs.

With Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon in the backfield alongside Hurts, Oklahoma might boast the most feared backfield in college football. Riley will run read-option looks to death, and then he’ll punish defenses with RPO’s off of that look that allow Hurts to hit quick passes to the supremely talented receivers at his disposal.