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Jalen Hurts considered a transfer to 1 B1G program until conversation with Nick Saban
Published:
Jalen Hurts was so close to joining the Maryland Terrapins football team in 2019 but chose to play for the Oklahoma Sooners after a talk with head coach Nick Saban.
On Thursday, Saban revealed Hurts was considering Maryland or Miami as a transfer until Saban asked the quarterback “Who’s got the best players on offense?” Hurts admitted that was Oklahoma, and Saban told him that’s where he should go.
Saban said Jalen Hurts wanted to transfer to Maryland or Miami, but Saban asked him: "'Who's got the best players on offense?' He said Oklahoma, and I said, 'That's where you need to go.' … And hell, I told him to do it knowing that we might have to play against him."
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) September 30, 2022
Hurts was set to join former Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley at Maryland, who became head coach in December of 2018. After talking with Saban, Hurts chose to transfer to Oklahoma on Jan. 16.
Hurts completed 237-of-340 of his passes for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in his one season at Oklahoma. In his three seasons at Alabama, Hurts completed 445-of-705 of his passes for 5,626 yards, 48 yards, 12 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 148.8.
After one year at Oklahoma, Hurts was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round (53rd overall pick) of the NFL Draft.