Jalen Hurts' college coach makes thoughts known on Eagles QB after Super Bowl win

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian praised Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts' development from college freshman to NFL champion. His comments come after Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

The former Alabama offensive coordinator reminisced about his history with Hurts during Friday's appearance on "Up & Adams." Their paths crossed during Hurts' freshman season when Sarkisian called plays in the Tide's national championship game against Clemson in 2017.

"That was a unique process," Sarkisian said. "You know, his freshman year at Alabama, I was an analyst. Coach (Nick) Saban named me offensive coordinator. So I called a national championship game his true freshman year against Clemson. It was a heck of a journey. We go way back."

Sarkisian added more about the growth of Jalen Hurts:

"What Jalen has been able to do in the NFL and watch his great game grow and him evolve as a leader and as a playmaker, not only with his legs, but he used his arm huge in that game. But his legs showed up.

"Those scrambles were huge, for I think over 70 yards rushing. So, a highly competitive guy. His dad's still coaching in high school football in Houston. So it's pretty neat to see those guys evolve throughout their career."

Jalen Hurts overpowered the Super Bowl with 293 yards and three touchdowns. He went 17 of 22 for 221 yards and contributed key scrambles that extended drives against Kansas City.

The win was a redemption for Hurts, who had lost Super Bowl LVII to the Chiefs two years before. That loss haunted him as he had the picture of the loss on his phone's lock screen all season in 2024, as per ESPN.

Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to a Super Bowl with an incredible year

NFL: Super Bowl LIX Philadelphia Eagles Championship Parade - Source: Imagn

Jalen Hurts worked with five different play-callers in college between Oklahoma and Alabama. Now he'll enter 2025 with his sixth NFL coordinator after Kellen Moore's departure to become the New Orleans Saints' head coach.

The Eagles quarterback thrived under Moore in 2024, leading Philadelphia to a 14-3 regular season record. The offense set an NFL record with 145 playoff points during their championship run.

The championship performance moved Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie to declare complete faith in his quarterback.

"Going into this game, he was the least of my worries. He's 26, incredibly clutch, he knows what correlates with winning," Lurie said on Feb. 12.

Hurts sparked the Eagles' passing attack in crucial moments this postseason. He threw for 246 yards in the NFC championship game win over the Washington Commanders before outdueling Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.