Five Things You Didn’t Know About Houston Native Jalen Hurts
Image: AP Photo/Matt York
The Super Bowl is without a doubt the single largest sporting event in America. Even the commercials have become must-see viewing. This year’s Big Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and The Kansas City Chiefs, marks an unprecedented moment in history, as two Black quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts for the Eagles, and Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs) go head to head for the Lombardi Trophy.
And since our beloved Texans didn’t make the grade this year, we’re rooting for Hurts, who happens to be a Houston native.
Here are five things to know about Jalen Hurts.
He attended Channelview High School in Channelview, Texas.
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Hurts graduated from Channelview High in 2016, located just 16 miles east of Houston, where he played football and was coached by his father, Averion Sr.
He played college football at the University of Alabama and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma.
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Hurts was a stellar athlete throughout college. At the University of Alabama, he was a two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year and a two-time national champion. At Oklahoma, he led all quarterbacks in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in the 2021 season.
He is surprisingly strong.
Jalen Hurts squats the same as Jason Kelce⁉️ pic.twitter.com/nC7xKFW0DY
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 4, 2022
Hurts is listed at 6’1” and 223 pounds, but at Alabama, it was reported that Hurts was able to squat up to 600 pounds in the Sooners weight room. That’s roughly the weight of two of his linemen. He says he still squats the same amount today.
He’s already a record setter.
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After the Eagles won their week 3 matchup against the Washington Commanders, Hurts became the first quarterback in NFL history to record 900+ pass yards and 150+ rush yards in the first three games of the season.
He comes from an athletic family.
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His father, Averion Sr., was a star athlete at Howard Payne University, where he excelled at both football and track. and was a six-time All-American in track and field, as well as All-Conference as a senior offensive lineman. Jalen’s older brother, Averion Jr. was also coached by their dad and went on to play quarterback at Texas Southern University after a successful high school career.
