His phone kept him grounded as a college quarterback at the University of Alabama, but it was not for social media purposes.
Jalen Hurts, a true freshman then, had one photo as his screensaver in 2017.
He gave the Crimson Tide a 31-28 lead on a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter versus Clemson in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. However, he walked off the field as the 31-35 loser to Deshaun Watson and the Tigers in Tampa, Fla. The lonely walk out of the stadium with confetti raining for Clemson became the motivating picture on his phone, and Hurts brought the Tide back to the CFP National Championship stage in the following year. Tua Tagovailoa — a freshman at the time — came off the bench in the second half against Georgia to help win the game, but Hurts accomplished his mission of helping Alabama win a national championship. The hunger has followed him to the National Football League.
Hurts, a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020, got the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII in his third year.
He outplayed Patrick Mahomes, but the Kansas City Chiefs earned a 38-35 victory. Hurts walked off the field through Chiefs’ confetti and has the photo as his screensaver. The native Texan had a great season in 2022, but can he do it again?
Hurts looks to show everyone his success was not a fluke. The motivational screensaver led to a CFP National Championship in college, but we will see if it yields a Super Bowl title for Hurts in the pros.
More must-reads: