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Jalen Hurts reflects on benching at Alabama as lesson after Super Bowl win

Originally posted on Touchdown Alabama Magazine
By Justin Smith | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 1:35 PM ET

Jalen Hurts spent some time reflecting back on his ‘unprecedented journey’ to a Super Bowl victory on Sunday.

Hurts has gone from being benched at the halftime of a National Championship game to being the Super Bowl MVP.

The Texas native looks back at his journey to this point as a lesson.

“Sometimes you have to accept that you have to wait your turn…I’m that same kid that went to the National Championship and lost and went back and got benched and had to transfer and had to go through this just unprecedented journey,” Hurts said. “That kid always kept the main thing, the main thing and always was true to his vision and what he saw.”

“I’m that same kid that went to the national championship and lost and went back and got benched and had to transfer…That kid always kept the main thing the main thing and always was true to his vision of what he saw.” – Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts #SuperBowl #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/4vPQVfvxce

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) February 10, 2025

Hurts’ path to the moment was not a typical one. He was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for Nick Saban at Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to back-to-back National Championship games but was benched as a sophomore in the championship at halftime. Tua Tagovailoa grabbed the reigns of QB1 and did not let them go.

Hurts stayed in Tuscaloosa for one more year and became a hero in the 2018 SEC Championship game before transferring to Oklahoma and becoming a Heisman finalist for the Sooners. His success at Oklahoma opened the door for him to be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the NFL Draft.

He is now a Super Bowl champion and proof no one gets to write you story but you.

This article first appeared on Touchdown Alabama Magazine and was syndicated with permission.

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