Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Pro Athlete of the Year for 2024-25. The former Alabama standout previously earned the honor in 2022.
Hurts led Philadelphia to its second Super Bowl title this past season, earning MVP honors in the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The dual-threat quarterback completed 17 of 22 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown with an interception while also rushing for 72 yards and a score on the ground during the Super Bowl victory. His 72 rushing yards were the most ever by a quarterback in the Super Bowl.
Over 15 games in the regular season, Hurts completed a career-high 68.7% of his passes for 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also added 630 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. His dominating performance against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl came after an equally impressive run in the playoffs, as he combined for 627 total yards and seven total touchdowns during wins over the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders.
"He just keeps getting better," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said of Hurts after the Super Bowl. "He knows how to win. He does a great job of being able to block out all the outside noise. I find it funny when it's like, you know, 'Well, Jalen is good because he's got a good team around him.' Like, that's football – you cannot be great without the greatness of others. Jalen can't do it by himself. He needs A.J. (Brown). He needs that offensive line. He needs Saquon (Barkley) and vice versa. The reason Saquon has a special year is not only the offensive line, but the attention that Jalen commands for the run game. Jalen is special and the criticism just blows my mind because I think he's so special and has won so many games and works his butt off and just continues to get better."
Hurts, who played quarterback at Alabama from 2016-2018, is one of 10 former Crimson Tide football players to win ASWA Pro Athlete of the Year. He is joined by Kenny Stabler (1975), Ozzie Newsome (1984), John Hannah (1985), Cornelius Bennett (1988), Shaun Alexander (2001, 2003, 2005), DeMeco Ryans (2006), Julio Jones (2016), Derrick Henry (2019, 2020) and Trevon Diggs (2021).
Overall, he's only the eighth repeat winner, joining Henry, Cam Newton, Alexander, Tim Hudson, Frank Thomas, Charles Barkley and Bobby Allison.
Hurts’ Super Bowl victory served as redemption for a flood of adversity he faced earlier in his career. After earning SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2016, he led Alabama to the national championship game before losing to Clemson. He was then benched in the second half of Alabama’s national championship win over Georgia in the 2017 season. Before leading Philadelphia to last season’s Super Bowl title, Hurts and the Eagles suffered a loss to the Chiefs in the 2023 Super Bowl.
“It's been a very unprecedented journey,” Hurts said after winning the Super Bowl. “The journey, it's always the beginning until it's the end, and I think, it means a lot."
Hurts was selected by Philadelphia with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after playing his final season at Oklahoma. During his five seasons in the league, he has thrown for 14,667 yards and 85 touchdowns and rushed for 3,133 yards and 55 scores on the ground.
By Tony Tsoukalas, Special to the Alabama Sports Writers Association
Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles on the digital cover of Sports Illustrated
Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles on the digital cover of Sports Illustrated / Sports Illustrated
Alabama Pro Athlete of the Year
2023 Gunnar Henderson
2022 Jalen Hurts
2021 Trevon Diggs
2020 Derrick Henry
2019 Derrick Henry
2018 Philip Rivers
2017 Justin Thomas
2016 Julio Jones
2015 Cam Newton
2014 Deontay Wilder
2013 Jason Dufner
2012 Craig Kimbrel
2011 Cam Newton
2010 Graeme McDowell
2009 Stewart Cink
2008 Mo Williams
2007 Jake Peavy
2006 DeMeco Ryans
2005 Shaun Alexander
2004 Ben Wallace
2003 Shaun Alexander
2002 Ben Wallace
2001 Shaun Alexander
2000 Tim Hudson
1999 Tim Hudson
1998 Ronald McKinnon
1997 Frank Thomas
1996 Kevin Greene
1995 Robert Horry
1994 Frank Thomas
1993 Frank Thomas
1992 Davey Allison
1991 Frank Thomas
1990 Charles Barkley
1989 Bo Jackson
1988 Corneilus Bennett
1987 Jimmy Key
1986 Charles Barkley
1985 John Hannah
1984 Ozzie Newsome
1983 Bobby Allison
1982 Andrew Toney
1981 Dieter Brock
1980 William Andrews
1979 John Stallworth
1978 Bobby Allison
1977 Hubert Green
1976 Jerry Pate
1975 Kenny Stabler
1974 Henry Aaron
See Also: Alabama Sports Writers Association Athlete Awards