After transferring from Alabama and leading the Oklahoma Sooners to a fourth College Football Playoff berth in five seasons, quarterback Jalen Hurts is going to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. He’ll be joined by LSU QB Joe Burrow, Ohio State QB Justin Fields and Ohio State DE Chase Young.
The tradition continues.@JalenHurts a finalist for the 2019 @HeismanTrophy.https://t.co/vzDCmmMvWN | #OUDNA #HeismanU #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/j16DKCfIot
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 9, 2019
In his final collegiate season after three at Alabama, Hurts has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 3,634 yards, 32 TDs, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 200.3, trailing only the injured Tua Tagovailoa and fellow finalist Joe Burrow in the final category. He’s also rushed for 1,225 yards on 219 attempts (5.7 yards per attempt) while reaching the end zone 18 times — all of which are career highs.
Of course, and Oklahoma quarterback has claimed this award the past two seasons, with Baker Mayfield winning it in 2017 and Kyler Murray following that up in 2018. Hurts obviously isn’t the favorite to take it home in 2019, but the fact that he’s even made it to this point is a testament both to his work ethic and Lincoln Riley’s ability to put his quarterbacks in a position to succeed.
Hurts got off to a torrid start this season before turnover issues began to plague his performances. However, even with these issues, Hurts and the Oklahoma defense managed to make enough plays in close games to keep the team’s championship hopes afloat. Most notably, the Houston native’s heroics during OU’s comeback win in Waco will be talked about for years to come.
With Hurts’ inclusion in New York, he is Oklahoma’s fifth Heisman finalist in the past four years (Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook in ‘16, Mayfield in ‘17, Kyler Murray in ‘18). No other school has accomplished such a feat.