It seems that former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts is off to a strong start in making a strong impression with his new teammates down in Norman. The Oklahoma football program released a video on Valentine’s Day of their new starting signal-caller doing a squat of exactly 585-pounds. Yes, you read that correctly, a starting quarterback just squatted the approximated weight of a black bear.
Lest we forget, Jalen Hurts is an absolute beast.
The new Oklahoma quarterback was actually powerlifter as a high schooler and while he attended Channelview High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he squatted over 600 pounds, making this showcase of immense strength a walk in the park.
Check it out:
In LOVE with the grind.@JalenHurts #RareBreed #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/Tv4aGGTVDT
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) February 14, 2019
In the video, Hurts begins his squat by ducking under the bar and picking up the bar stacked with weight onto his shoulders, placing it with confidence and ease. Around him are his new teammates, hyping him up in the background. Hurts takes two steps back, begins his descent into the squat, and while assisted by a spotter, willfully powers himself up back to a standing stance amidst jubilation and roars of approval from his new classmates, and teammates, inside of the Oklahoma weight room.
If this is an indication of anything it’s this: Lincoln Riley may have won the quarterback jackpot for a third straight year.
Baker Mayfield was athletic and dangerously accurate as the Oklahoma signal-caller leading up to him obtaining a Heisman and a No. 1 overall pick selection to the Cleveland Browns. Kyler Murray was a repeat of that and was lightning fast with razor-sharp precision when he won the Heisman and became one of the best quarterbacks in the upcoming draft.
The question lies in this: those two were completely different prospects compared to Jalen Hurts, who hasn’t been a precision passer at the collegiate level. Although Hurts had a ton of success at Alabama, he doesn’t possess the refined passing prowess of Mayfield or Murray, and he brings more of a power rushing element than Murray, which is clearly visible from this squat video.
Still, Hurts will greatly benefit from playing with Riley, even if it is for one year. Riley’s extensive offensive knowledge shows in his schemes and playcalling, as they should open a bunch of targets including new starting wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Regardless of what happens, it will be a dandy to witness what happens in one of college football’s most pivotal stories of 2019.
