QB Jalen Hurts gets first NFL start

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

Channelview star sees First Start, First Win

CHANNELVIEW – Fans and family of star QB Jalen Hurts were thrilled when the local Channelview high school football star replaced the regular Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz in last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers. They were even more excited to learn that Jalen would start the game last weekend against the New Orleans Saints. Jalen went on to lead the Eagles to an upset win over the Saints, 24-21.

Jalen Hurts was a stand-out quarterback who played for the Channelview Falcons under the direction of the head coach, Averion Hurts, his father. In his senior year, he passed for 2,384 yards with 26 touchdown passes, and rushed for 1,391 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was named District 21-6A MVP in his junior year.

These multiple skills, passing and rushing, were evident in the game he played against the Saints, where he completed 17 of 30 passes for 167 yards, and rushed 18 times for 106 yards. In the previous game against the Packers, he replaced Wentz who was benched early, and went on to pass for 109 yards and one TD, thus earning his chance to start in the Saints game. Eagle’s coach Doug Pederson said after the game “Jalen… gave us a spark as a team…”

Wentz in 2019 signed a four-year $107 million extension to his contract, so although the Eagles will keep him on the roster, it is now unclear who will be the permanent starting quarterback.

After high school, Jalen was heavily recruited by high-ranking college football programs, including Texas A&M and Alabama, where he decided to go, under the coaching of fabled Nick Saban. Jalen excelled at Alabama, earning the starting QB roll as a freshman. He continued his success in his sophomore and junior years, but competed with Tua Tagovailoa for the starting role, and eventually was named backup.

Jalen decided to play his final year at another university, and transferred to Oklahoma. His career continued to soar at Oklahoma, with amazing statistics and he led the team to a Big 12 Championship.

In the 2020 NFL draft, Jalen was picked in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was originally the 3rd starting QB, but due to his abilities when Wentz was benched in the Packers game, he took over the QB role for that game and the next. It has not been announced whether he will start other games this season.