Jalen Hurts and Caleb Williams will square off for the first time when the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears meet on Friday at Lincoln Financial Field.
But it won’t be the first time Hurts and Williams have actually met.
On Tuesday, Williams recalled Hurts giving him “some wisdom” when the Bears quarterback was being recruited by Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma years ago.
Hurts starred with the Sooners in 2019 after transferring from Alabama. Williams, meanwhile, was one of the top prospects in the 2021 class. Ultimately, he was convinced by Riley to follow in the footsteps of Hurts, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma.
But as Hurts was on his way out of Norman — and before Williams was committed to the Sooners — the former encouraged the latter to use his platform as a Black quarterback.
“It was, there’s not many like us — you know, in our position, and who we are and skin tone and all those things,” Williams said when asked about Hurts’ message. “There’s not many like us. So just being able to understand the opportunity that we have, and I have to maximize that and put myself in the best opportunity possible.
“Jalen, you’ve heard all his bits. He’s pretty motivational when he speaks up here.”
Jalen hurts lincoln riley
Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said he feels Jalen Hurts will have to be decisive in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Both quarterbacks maximized their college football experiences.
Hurts, after three years at Alabama, was the 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up while leading Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff. Williams took over as the Sooners’ QB1 as a true freshman in 2021. Then, he followed Riley to USC, where he won the 2022 Heisman.
Hurts was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Eagles. Williams was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Bears. Hurts is coming off a Super Bowl LIX title while Williams is coming into his own as a second-year starter.
And on Friday, the two will face off. Hurts’ Eagles are 8-3, winning despite glaring issues on offense. Williams’ 8-3 Bears are one of the surprise teams of the season so far.
We’ll see which former Sooner walks away with the W — and if Hurts imparts any more wisdom to Williams during the postgame handshake at the Linc.
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