How Jalen Hurts regained control of his narrative

Jalen Hurts, Jaylen Waddle

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) celebrates his touchdown against Georgia during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)AP

To understand Jalen Hurts is to first recognize that at the age of 20 he’s already a man in full. The former Alabama quarterback has endured the boom-and-bust cycle of life as he’s experienced outrageous success, abject disappointment and a revival that has been both sudden and inspiring. He traced this winding path under the intense glare of the spotlight, making his journey to this point that much more challenging.

It’s no wonder then that Hurts is wise beyond his years — exhibiting a heightened level of self-awareness unusual for someone five months removed from being a teenager. While so many of his peers are susceptible to impulse, Hurts is careful, considerate and most of all calculating. For evidence of that, look no further than his announcement Wednesday when he revealed to the world he is transferring to Oklahoma.

Hurts disseminated the message on The Players’ Tribune, a website used by high-profile athletes to break news about themselves.

The delivery method was as illuminating as the content of the letter he wrote. After all, it offered a window into the mind of Hurts, who in August lamented the fact that he had lost a measure of control over the image he crafted as rumors swirled about a possible transfer and he battled for a starting spot he would soon relinquish to Tua Tagovailoa.

“It's too late,” he said then. “The narrative has already been created.”

That bothered Hurts, a public relations major who was nearing the completion of his degree. More than any of his teammates, he grasped the value of messaging. He had always been reticent in his interactions with reporters and restrained on social media, thoughtfully choosing his words.

“I’ve built a brand for myself,” he said last summer.

Hurts was determined to protect it as he plotted his exit from Alabama and performed his role as backup — letting enough time pass so that he could eventually reemerge as a hero when he came off the bench in the fourth quarter of the SEC championship game, led a spirited comeback against Georgia and helped preserve the Tide’s spot in the College Football Playoff.

Although it wasn’t Hurts’ final act at Alabama, it may as well have been. Without question, it altered his legacy, ensuring he would be remembered fondly by a fan base that at times treated him as a polarizing figure. It also allowed him to make a smooth getaway to Oklahoma — a destination that is an ideal landing spot for Hurts and one he meticulously evaluated much in the same way a major actor does when he’s reading through scripts as he assesses his next project.

By signing up with the Sooners, he once again becomes the face of a national brand with a rich history. In turn, he is partnering with head coach Lincoln Riley — the kind of whisperer for Texas-born quarterback transfers that Martin Scorsese has been for Italian-American actors during his directorial career. Riley turned Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray into Heisman Trophy winners, giving them a vehicle for their talents and altering the trajectory of their story arcs after they ran into some resistance at other programs. In Norman, Hurts believes he can also change his narrative by adding a riveting epilogue to the chapters he wrote in Tuscaloosa.

It was another smart move by a man who at 20 regained ownership of his own destiny and the image he has worked so hard to craft.

“This story of mine, it’s still just getting started," he wrote Wednesday. “There are movie moments still to come.”

Hurts is confident of that because once again he has the creative control he has always coveted and never thought he’d lose when he began telling this epic tale that on Wednesday featured its latest twist.

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin

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