Oklahoma football: Ranking every Sooners’ starting QB since 1999
By Aaron Gelvin
No. 6 — Jalen Hurts
Fourteen starts in 2019
Jalen Hurts spent less than a calendar year in Norman, but he sure made the most of his time as a Sooner. Hurts transferred as a result of losing his starting job at Alabama to Tua Tagovailoa and won the starting job for the Sooners for the 2019 season, which would be his last in college football.
Hurts led OU to a 12-2 record while he was under center, and the team won the Big 12 and made a trip to the College Football Playoff. Hurts was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 2019 and had a dynamic season as both a runner and a passer. He threw for over 3,800 yards and had 32 touchdowns through the air. He also added 20 touchdowns on the ground and almost 1,300 rushing yards.
However, none of those individual accolades or team accomplishments might have been possible without Hurts engineering the greatest comeback in Sooner history on a November night in Waco, Texas. A 28-3 lead for Baylor evaporated into thin air as Hurts pounded the ball time and time again to keep OU’s playoff hopes alive.
Hurts had a legendary collegiate career in both Tuscaloosa and Norman, and it ended when he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020. Hurts is currently entering his second full season as Philly’s starter after guiding the team to the playoffs in 2021.