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Former Alabama Player Named as One of the Best Freshmen of the Century

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 10:37 PM ET

Eight years before helping the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl, Jalen Hurts made a name for himself in Tuscaloosa. With the Alabama Crimson Tide, as Nick Saban's first true freshman quarterback, Hurts shook up the SEC as a newcomer.

On Monday, CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer named Hurts as college football’s No. 11 true freshman since 2000.

"Hurts took over as Alabama's starter for Blake Barnett in Alabama's season opener against USC," Hummer wrote. "He ended the year as the SEC's Offensive Player of the Year with 2,870 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also, in some ways, was the SEC's most imposing ball carrier with 954 yards and 13 touchdowns on five yards per touch."

Hurts' 23 touchdown passes tied for the third-most in the conference, behind Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs (27) and Arkansas' Austin Allen.

Former Clemson passer Trevor Lawrence, who became one of two true freshman starting quarterbacks to lead their team to a national title in 2018, topped the list. Hurts ranked just ahead of NC State's Philip Rivers (No. 12) and North Carolina's Sam Howell (No. 19). Those four rounded out the signal-callers on the list.

Hurts left Alabama with the fourth-best winning percentage (92.9%) in program history. His 23 rushing touchdowns were also an all-time Crimson Tide record for a signal-caller, since surpassed by Jalen Milroe (33).

After being benched and serving as Tua Tagovailoa’s backup for a season, Hurts transferred to join Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. Hurts finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2019.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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