Nick Saban reveals private discussions he had with Jalen Hurts ahead of his transfer to Oklahoma

Jalen Hurts has been one of the early storylines of the 2022 NFL season. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback in 2020 and he has developed into a young star as a pro. Nick Saban says he credits Jalen Hurts hard work for helping him to become the player he is over his time in Tuscaloosa and Norman until now.

Saban spoke about Hurts’ development during his radio show on Thursday night. He said his No. 1 critique of Hurts, especially as a player who wanted to go to the NFL, was that he needed to improve his passing game. That’s exactly what Hurts did heading into and during his final year at Alabama.

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“To Jalen’s credit, and I think this is the biggest thing that helped him become an NFL quarterback, is he stayed at Alabama,” said Saban. “And I told him, ‘Look, you need to develop to become a better passer.’ You want to play in the NFL? You’re a great athlete. You have to focus on what you need to do every day in practice to become a better quarterback in the passing game. Decision making, judgment, accuracy, all those things. And, God bless him, he did it and he got better.”

From there, Hurts notably transferred to play for Lincoln Riley and the Sooners in 2019. He threw for over 3,800 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,300 yards and 20 more scores. That campaign earned him an opportunity to win the Heisman that season. Before he even left Tuscaloosa, though, Saban said he did his best to help Hurts to that opportunity. While he originally was considering some other destinations, Saban helped him realize that Norman was where he needed to go.

“I think that’s what helped him when he went to Oklahoma. We made that decision together too. He said I’m gonna go to Miami or I’m gonna go to Maryland…I know those (OCs). I said who’s got the best players on offense? He said Oklahoma. I said that’s where you need to go,” Saban said. “If you’re gonna play quarterback, you’ve gotta have good players around you. I told him to do it knowing that we might have to play against them. But still it was best for him.”

Hurts has gone on to become an early season MVP candidate during the Eagle’s 3-0 start to the season. His dual-threat ability has made him one of the most exciting, dynamic players in the league. While Saban taught him plenty, he says he credits Hurts for putting in the effort to become the caliber of player he is today.

“It’s worked out very well for him. I’m so happy to see how well he’s doing…It’s great.”