Jalen Hurts’ Super Bowl touchdown will shock Alabama fans for 1 wild reason

Jalen Hurts made history when he kicked off Super Bowl 57 by crashing into the end zone on a one-yard quarterback sneak. He wasn’t just the first scorer in the most-bet game in NFL history — he also became the first former Alabama player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

While quarterbacks Ken Stabler and Bart Starr have thrown their way into the end zone — which don’t count as a score for the passing quarterback — no former Crimson Tide standout had ever caught or run for a touchdown in the biggest game of the season.

Stars like Shaun Alexander and Julio Jones have come close in big performances, but none had breached the end zone before Hurts scored his 16th touchdown of the year, including playoffs.

It’s a wild stat considering the blue blood status of the Crimson Tide on the gridiron. There have been 381 Alabama alumni to make it to the NFL, per Pro Football Reference. But none had ever found the end zone via run or catch until 2023.

Two drives later, Hurts became the third Alabama quarterback to throw for a Super Bowl passing touchdown with an absolute rainbow deep to A.J. Brown.

And then, after fumbling away six points for a Nick Bolton scoop-and-score, Hurts punched his all-time Bama touchdown lead up to two with another rushing score. It also cemented his place as an all-time performer in the Super Bowl.

Hurt began his college career at Alabama before finishing it at Oklahoma. That means the “first Crimson Tide alum who played his whole NCAA run in Tuscaloosa” remains up for grabs. Good luck, Mac Jones.