Jalen Hurts has not said if he is going to transfer, but after compiling a 26-2 record before being benched for a true freshman in the National Championship, it would be hard to imagine he won’t be the most sought out transfer if he chose to leave.
The Good
- 1 Interception in 2017, only 9 in 2016.
- Has passed for over 2000 yards both seasons as a starter.
- Has run for over 800 yards in both seasons as a starter.
- Proven Winner, and in times of adversity has shown to keep his cool.
The Bad
- Has been known to run too quickly and not let his routes play out fully.
- When throwing down field he is inaccurate more often than accurate.
- Did not trust his receivers enough.
Here is a list of schools that I think will have to weigh those options in deciding to bring in Hurts.
Texas
Tom Herman is a great Coach and had a promising first season at Texas, but what killed him, and what has killed Texas since Colt McCoy left for the NFL, has been its QB play. Herman at Houston went 22-5 in his 2 seasons with Greg Ward Jr. who realistically only had half the talent Jalen Hurts has. This would also be a sort of homecoming for Hurts, who is from the state of Texas.
Florida Atlantic
While you might think “wow he’s just putting this because Lane Kiffin would love to steal an Alabama player from Saban.” Well that’s half right, but the other half is Jalen Hurts’ first 14 games were better than his last 14 games, and it just so happens the first 14 were coached by Lane Kiffin. Kiffin gives Hurts a playbook where he can use his arms more and still use his legs often, as evidenced by having 700 more passing yards as a freshman, as well as 100 extra rushing yards that season.
Baylor
This would be a tough to sell to Hurts, but I think they can do it. Baylor had a short stint as a powerhouse program before allegations about former players doing unspeakable things and coaches not doing anything to help led to a lot of transfers, housecleaning in the coaching staff, and a 1-11 season. While recruiting for Baylor will be tough, if they can get a proven QB like Hurts and be able to tell recruits that the future will be bright, I think he could be the player who turns Baylor back to the light.
UCLA
They just lost top 3 pick Josh Rosen to the NFL Draft, but they also got one of the best college coaches of all time in Chip Kelly. While all-time is a stretch because he was only a head coach in college for four years, people forget James Dean only starred in 3 movies and look at his legacy. While Chip is probably away recruiting his ass off like he does, he should check the channels on Hurts who, with the right coaching and development, could be a asset to Kelly like Mariota was at Oregon and bring UCLA back to prominence.
Georgia Tech
Jalen Hurts has the legs to run the option, as evidenced by running for just 300 less yards than GT’s starting QB in a non-option system. Hurts would also give Paul Johnson a viable option in the passing game. TaQuon Marshall has one year left before he graduates, so Hurts could spend a year picking his brain and learning the intricate ways of the option system before taking the reins and bringing the Yellow Jackets back to the top of the ACC.