Editorial

Jalen Hurts Named Starting Quarterback For The Oklahoma Sooners

Apr 12, 2019; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes the ball during the Oklahoma Spring Football game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports - via (Reuters)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners to open the college football season.

Head coach Lincoln Riley made the decision to ride with the Alabama transfer over freshman phenom Spencer Rattler, according to Bleacher Report on Monday. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

Riley didn’t exactly rush to make this announcement, but I think everybody who knows and understand football knew Hurts was going to get the nod.

He was dominant at Alabama, but just lost his job to a better man. Guys like that don’t ride the bench when in competition with a true and unproven freshman.

I don’t care how talented Rattler is. Hurts is the better option right now.

 

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Having said that, Oklahoma fans shouldn’t expect the same level of production out of Hurts that they got out of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

He’s more athletic than Mayfield, less athletic than Murray and he can’t throw as well as either of them. Is Hurts talented? Absolutely, but he’s not on the same level as those two.

Now, he could still absolutely dominant like he did for large portions of his Alabama career, but he’s not going to be the first overall pick in the NFL draft.

It should be a lot of fun to see what Hurts does this season in Riley’s offense for the Sooners. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and the team shouldn’t struggle at all.

I don’t expect him to do the same things Mayfield and Murray did at Oklahoma, but that still leaves plenty of room for him to win a lot of games.