Pick No. 53 rarely arrives with this much scrutiny. Jalen Hurts entered the NFL in 2020 as a second-round selection, already known to football fans from Alabama, Oklahoma and one of the most public quarterback journeys in recent college memory. What followed in Philadelphia was not a straight line, but it was a fast one: he became the Eagles’ starter, grew into one of the league’s most effective dual-threat quarterbacks, reached a Super Bowl early in his career, and later won Super Bowl LIX while earning Super Bowl MVP honors.
That rise makes more sense when you start in Channelview, Texas, where structure came first.
Built in Texas
Jalen Alexander Hurts was born on August 7, 1998, in Houston and grew up in nearby Channelview. Football was part of daily life. His father, Averion Hurts, was a longtime high school coach and coached him at Channelview High School. His mother, Pamela Hurts, worked as a special education teacher. He grew up in a family that knew the game, talked the game and, just as importantly, treated it like work.
At Channelview, Hurts developed into a four-star recruit and one of the better quarterback prospects in Texas. He was productive on the field, but the details around him mattered too. He also competed in powerlifting and reached the regional-finalist level, a clue to the lower-body strength that later became a defining part of his game as both a runner and short-yardage finisher.
The family ties stayed close. His older brother, Averion Hurts Jr., also played quarterback and later moved into coaching, while his younger sister, Kynnedy, rounded out a household built around education and sports.
Alabama: early success, then a public test
Few college quarterbacks step into Alabama and immediately take control. Hurts did.
As a freshman in 2016, he became the starter and quickly turned into one of the central figures in Nick Saban’s program. He won SEC Offensive Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-SEC honors that season, giving Alabama a quarterback who could stress defenses with both his arm and his legs.
Across three seasons with the Crimson Tide from 2016 through 2018, he passed for 5,626 yards and 48 touchdowns, adding 1,976 rushing yards and 23 rushing scores. Those are the official Alabama totals, and they reflect more than just mobility. Hurts was productive, durable and difficult to defend in the red zone.
His Alabama years also included one of the more unusual arcs for a top quarterback. He helped lead the program to the College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2017 season, then later lost the starting job to Tua Tagovailoa. Rather than transfer immediately, he stayed, remained a key part of the team and delivered one of the most memorable moments of his college career when he came off the bench in the 2018 SEC Championship Game against Georgia and helped Alabama win.
That stretch said a lot about how he was viewed inside the program. He was talented, but he was also trusted.
Away from football, Hurts graduated from Alabama with a degree in communication and information sciences, another sign that his college career was not only about the field.
Oklahoma and a final leap
His last college stop lasted only one season, but it changed the way many evaluators saw him.
After transferring to Oklahoma for 2019, Hurts stepped into Lincoln Riley’s offense and produced one of the biggest statistical seasons in the country. He threw for 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns, rushed for 1,298 yards and 20 more scores, finished second in Heisman Trophy voting and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. He was also named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
The Oklahoma season sharpened his draft profile. He was no longer just the strong runner from Alabama who could manage a game. He showed he could carry a high-volume passing offense, create explosive plays and remain a major rushing threat at the same time.
By the time he left college, the outline of the player he would become in the NFL was already visible.
Draft night and the start in Philadelphia
Philadelphia selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 53rd overall pick. It was a debated move at the time because the Eagles already had Carson Wentz, but the pick soon looked less like a luxury and more like a pivot point for the franchise.
Hurts wore No. 2 as a rookie before switching to No. 1 in 2021, the same number he had worn at Oklahoma. The number change was small. The larger shift came when he took over as the Eagles’ starting quarterback and began reshaping the offense around his strengths.
The Eagles years: growth, pressure and a championship
Hurts’ NFL career has been built on steady improvement and a very specific kind of production. He is not simply a quarterback who can scramble. Philadelphia has used him as a designed runner, a red-zone weapon and the center of an offense that asks defenses to account for every gap.
The 2022 season was the turning point. Hurts finished second in NFL MVP voting, made the Pro Bowl, earned second-team All-Pro honors and won the Bert Bell Award. He helped lead the Eagles to a 14-1 record in his regular-season starts and guided them through the NFC playoffs to Super Bowl LVII.
That postseason run included a 38-7 divisional-round win over the Giants. In the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, even in a loss, Hurts was outstanding. The game also made history as the first Super Bowl with two Black starting quarterbacks, Hurts and Patrick Mahomes.
His rushing numbers kept placing him in rare territory. In 2023, he tied the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 15. He also owns the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a playoff game with three, and he set the Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 70 in Super Bowl LVII. In that same game, he scored 20 points, tying the Super Bowl record for most points by a single player.
Then came the championship finish. In the Eagles’ title run that ended with a victory in Super Bowl LIX, Hurts reached the top of the sport, winning the game and taking home Super Bowl MVP. By that stage of his career, he had already established himself as one of the defining players in Philadelphia’s offense and one of the NFL’s most difficult quarterbacks to defend in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
Through his first six NFL seasons, Hurts had compiled 17,891 passing yards, 110 touchdown passes and 45 interceptions, along with 3,554 rushing yards and 63 rushing touchdowns. His completion rate stood at 64.4 percent, with a 94.4 passer rating and a 57-25 record as a starter. Those numbers capture the shape of his game: efficient passing, careful ball security and unusually high rushing value for the position.
Why his playing style works
At 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, Hurts has a compact build for an NFL quarterback, and he uses it well. The powerlifting background shows up in his balance, leg drive and ability to finish runs. He can extend plays, but that is only part of the picture.
What makes him effective is the combination. He can operate from the pocket, throw on schedule and attack downfield, but he also changes defensive math with designed runs and his strength near the goal line. That blend has made him one of the league’s clearest examples of a true dual-threat quarterback, not in the casual sense, but in the way game plans have to bend around him.
Contract, earnings and endorsements
In April 2023, Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with Philadelphia. The deal included $179.304 million in guarantees, with $110 million fully guaranteed at signing, plus a no-trade clause. At the time, it briefly made him the highest-paid player in NFL history by average annual value.
Off the field, he has built a broad endorsement portfolio. Brands linked to him have included Jordan Brand, Pepsi, Hulu, Columbia Sportswear, Gillette, Oakley, Kellogg’s, Lemon Perfect, Lincoln Financial Group, A SHOC and Beats by Dre. He has also been reported as an investor in A SHOC.
One business detail that drew attention was his all-female management team handling marketing and business matters, a setup widely noted in coverage of his off-field career.
Any estimate of Jalen Hurts net worth should be treated cautiously, since such figures are usually media estimates rather than confirmed disclosures. Various outlets have published different numbers, but his contract and endorsement work clearly place him among the NFL’s top earners.
Off the field: family, faith and public image
Hurts’ public image has long leaned more toward routine than celebrity. He has spoken openly about his Christian faith, and much of the reporting around him points to discipline, family influence and a measured personality.
In his personal life, he married Bryonna “Bry” Burrows. Before that became public fact, reports and online speculation had linked the two for some time, but that should be treated as rumor until confirmed by the couple’s public appearances and marriage reporting.
Family remains central to his story because it has always been central to his football life. His father coached him, his mother worked in education, and his brother followed a similar quarterback-to-coaching path. Those details help explain why Hurts has often been described as unusually composed for a player whose career has unfolded under so much attention.
He has also expanded his work into philanthropy. In 2024, he launched the Jalen Hurts Foundation. Among the initiatives associated with it is the “Keep It Cool” campaign, aimed at helping install air conditioning in Philadelphia schools. He has also supported the KB Foundation, a youth mentorship nonprofit.
Hurts has added another title as well: author. He wrote a children’s book called Better Than a Touchdown, extending his profile beyond football without straying far from the themes that have followed him throughout his career: preparation, confidence and resilience.
FAQ
How old is Jalen Hurts?
He was born on August 7, 1998.
What college did Jalen Hurts go to?
He played at Alabama before finishing his college career at Oklahoma.
Has Jalen Hurts won a Super Bowl?
Yes. He won Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles and was named Super Bowl MVP.
What number does Jalen Hurts wear?
He wears No. 1 for the Eagles.
What is Jalen Hurts’ contract?
He signed a five-year, $255 million extension with Philadelphia in April 2023.
Is Jalen Hurts married?
Yes. He is married to Bryonna “Bry” Burrows.
