Nick Saban raves about play of Jalen Hurts in win over Cowboys: 'Driven to be the best that he could be'

Nick Saban couldn’t be prouder of Jalen Hurts. After watching his former quarterback win a Super Bowl last season and carve up the Dallas Cowboys’ defense in Week 1, he joined The Pat McAfee Show on Friday to rave a bit about the former Alabama star’s play.

“If you just look at what Jalen Hurts has done from when he got taken out of the national championship game and Tua [Tagovailoa] got put in, the improvements that he’s made as a passer, as a quarterback, as a leader? I mean, this guy is driven to be the best that he could be,” Saban told McAfee.

“He works at it every day. Nothing affects him. I just love the guy. I love that he’s having such great success now with the Eagles. Not only at his position, but helping his team be successful.”

During his time in Tuscaloosa, Hurts showed a ton of potential, but it’s how he’s grown since then that is why Saban is singing his praises. Everyone remembers the moment Hurts was benched for the aforementioned Tagovailoa, but what he’s proven since then has been nothing short of extraordinary.

“I had a meeting with him and said, ‘If you want to play in the NFL someday, you have a great opportunity every day in practice to improve as a passer. To improve your reading. Reading coverages, reading the defense, better anticipation.’ 

“All those things,” Saban said previously, recalling what his message to Hurts was after his benching. “If you do that, it’s going to help your development tremendously. So, don’t be frustrated that you may not be starting the games. But when you get the opportunities, you’re going to be a much better player because you made an improvement in all those areas.’ 

“He took all that and did a great job with it, and I think he made a significant amount of progress. I’ve said before that he probably improved more the year he didn’t play than the years he did, as a passer.”

While it’s been a while since Hurts was learning under Saban’s guidance, the advice his former coach gave him evidently went a long way. Instead of running from adversity, he ran towards it, and that’s made him a better quarterback.

We’ll see if the Eagles can replicate their Super Bowl success this season. If they do, their quarterback in Hurts is bound to play a huge role. There’s no doubt that Saban will be cheering him on.

— On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this article.