X

Jalen Hurts Says He Wouldn't Change Any Experience from Alabama, Oklahoma Career

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistJanuary 21, 2020

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 28: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the LSU Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts reiterated Monday that he had no regrets from his college career, which included transferring from Alabama to Oklahoma before the 2019 season.

"I don't think there is any experience that I would go back and exchange or change," he told reporters during Senior Bowl festivities. "Everything has happened for a reason. It's all happened as it's supposed to. I think I'm stronger, wiser, a better man, player, leader for everything."

Hurts will even wear a helmet that is half Alabama's design and half Oklahoma's during the Senior Bowl:

William McFadden @willmcfadden

Pretty cool moment here at the Senior Bowl: Jalen Hurts will wear a helmet representing both #Alabama and #Oklahoma during Saturday’s game. https://t.co/L9iFSiPU0L

Hurts, 21, spent his first three seasons at Alabama and was the team's starting quarterback as a freshman and sophomore, leading the team to a 27-2 record and a national championship against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2017 campaign.

But it was Tua Tagovailoa who was the hero in that title game, replacing Hurts in the second half and leading the team back from a 13-0 deficit. Tagovailoa remained the starter in 2018, and Hurts chose to transfer to Oklahoma ahead of the 2019 campaign.

It was the right move. He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up after throwing for 3,851 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 1,298 yards and 20 scores on the ground. He led Oklahoma to a 12-2 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff, though the Sooners were blown out by Heisman winner Joe Burrow and the eventual champion LSU Tigers, 63-28.

As for Hurts' next team, he's likely to be a middle-round selection. B/R's Matt Miller did not project Hurts to be a first-round selection in his most recent mock draft, while ESPN's Todd McShay projected him as a third-day pick in October and Mel Kiper Jr. thought he could potentially sneak into the second round.

Hurts will almost assuredly get drafted, though it will come long after players like Burrow, Tagovailoa and Oregon's Justin Herbert are off the board.