Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has entered the transfer portal, as first reported by 247Sports' Barton Simmons, thus kick-starting what could be one heck of a second recruitment for him.
Though Hurts nor Alabama has not yet officially confirmed this yet, the move is not surprising in the least. Following the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship when Hurts was benched for Tua Tagovailoa, Hurts officially lost his starting job to Tagovailoa this past season. Hurts did, however, remain a member of the Crimson Tide and proved to be a venerable backup who shined coming off of the bench in a come from behind victory in the SEC Championship Game over Georgia.
Now, though, he's apparently willing to try his luck as a starter somewhere else and he'll have plenty of options. With the college football offseason officially underway, Hurts figures to be the most sought after grad transfer quarterback available. Former quarterback Justin Fields has already transferred to Ohio State and Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson opted to try his luck in the NFL draft instead.
Hurts' next home will get a proven quarterback with an impressive resume. Hurts is 26-2 as a starter with three College Football Playoff title game appearances (two as a starter) and he was the SEC's Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman. He is a gifted runner who showed off impressive development as a passer when he relieved Tagovailoa in the SEC title game, going 7-of-9 for 82 yards and a touchdown. He is highly respected by both the Alabama coaching staff and his teammates, no more so than Tagovailoa himself.
Hurts has impressive statistically, too, with 5,626 career yards passing, 1,976 yards rushing and 71 total touchdowns. As for where he'll head next, it's too early to say which programs have an inside track. Hurts will be highly coveted by a number of Power Five programs looking to improve their quarterback situation. However, one thing to note is that his now-former offensive coordinator, Mike Locksley, has moved on to become the head coach at Maryland.
