San Francisco 49ers’ Mac Jones and Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts took very different paths to NFL success, but their journeys were once intertwined at Alabama. Under HC Nick Saban, they were in a QB competition, alongside Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Now, years later, Jones admitted a reality about his competition with Hurts back in those days.

“It’s like me, Jalen, and Tua are running against each other and the linebackers,” said Jones during his recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “But like you get a shirt after every week if you do well. Like they hand out maybe 10 of them for the whole team. So I got all four years in a row. Every week I got a shirt, and so I got it like 16 times or whatever. That was a huge deal for me. Like that was my goal every week. Get the shirt, be the first one, at least trying to be the first one.

“I couldn’t really beat Jalen cuz he’s faster than me. But like I gave him a run for my money, like for what it was worth, you know? So anyways, that was fun. It helped me mentally to run against those guys and lift and compete, and it made me grow up quick.”

Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts shared the quarterback room at the Alabama Crimson Tide for two years, 2017 and 2018. In the first season, Hurts led the offense while Tua Tagovailoa served as the primary backup in his freshman year. Meanwhile, Jones was redshirted as a true freshman, primarily running the scout team. However, together they won the College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2017 season, and much of the credit goes to Hurts.

The Eagles QB racked up 855 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. But in his overall stint at Alabama, Hurts rushed for 1,976 yards and posted 23 TDs in 42 games. Along with that, he clocked a 4.48-second 40-yard dash during Alabama’s internal spring athletic testing in March 2017, which is even less than Chiefs’ three-time Super Bowl-winning QB Patrick Mahomes (4.80 seconds).

So, the speed that Mac Jones referred to was evident during Jalen’s college days. But most importantly, Hurts’ style as a dual-threat quarterback required a good amount of pace to run the pockets and get those necessary rushing yards. The momentum continued even after he joined the NFL through the Eagles.

While Hurts is not primarily known for his elite raw speed, his power-running style and short-yardage dominance always play a crucial role in the team’s success. The Eagles QB racked up 3,554 rushing yards and 63 touchdowns in his six seasons with the franchise. But during the Super Bowl LIX game against the Kansas City Chiefs, his speed helped Hurts win his first Lombardi Trophy.

In 11 carries, he recorded 72 rushing yards and one touchdown, which helped the Eagles to defeat the Chiefs 40-22. Meanwhile, Mac Jones’ prowess as a QB isn’t much like Jalen Hurts’. The 49ers signal-caller’s game relies on processing speed and timing, where he reads defenses quickly and delivers highly accurate passes.