Texas Football: Jalen Hurts Oklahoma transfer impacting Big 12?

The Big 12 was put on alert as to what the Oklahoma Sooners could be in 2019 with the transfer news of former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts.

The biggest news of Jan. 16 as it relates to the Texas football program, Big 12, and likely the college football landscape in general came down with a key quarterback transfer announcement. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback Jalen Hurts announced that he would be a graduate transfer to become immediately eligible for the 2019 season with the Oklahoma Sooners.

This could be a big reason for all the back and forth between Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall and head coach Lincoln Riley of late. Last week, Kendall put his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal and took some visits to see where his next destination could be. But, Oklahoma blocked his immediate eligibility transfer attempt to the West Virginia Mountaineers on Jan. 16, per ESPN reports from Jake Trotter.

When it’s all said and done, Oklahoma is likely to let Kendall go since Jalen Hurts is about to make his way from Tuscaloosa, AL, to Norman. Kendall would become the backup quarterback once again, after sitting behind the 2018 Heisman winner Kyler Murray. He likely wants to go somewhere he has a clear path to winning the starting job.

However, this news with the Jalen Hurts transfer to Oklahoma is bigger than the impact it will have on Kendall’s landing spot. Hurts is a quarterback that knocked the Sooners out of the College Football Playoff before. He’s also won the SEC Championship and made appearances in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game numerous times.

Jalen Hurts brings quite the impressive career stat line with him to the Oklahoma offense. He has a career completion percentage roughly at 63 percent, 5,625 career passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. To add to that already efficient career set of numbers, Hurts has nearly 2,000 career rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.

Under the direction of the offensive mastermind that is Riley, Hurts could have the best statistical season of his career in 2019. This is going to be a dangerous combination, and the rest of the Big 12 needs to be weary of what the Oklahoma offense brings to the table now.

In terms of the impact this transfer news has on the Texas Longhorns, Jalen Hurts could be a good match come the 2019 edition of the Red River Showdown. The departure of Murray from Oklahoma looked to be an opportunity for the Horns to get a leg up on the Sooners. That opportunity becomes slightly smaller with Hurts on his way to Norman.

What could be working in the Horns favor, and the rest of the Big 12 teams not named Oklahoma, is the track record of inconsistency and inaccuracy for Jalen Hurts in the Alabama passing game. Hurts had numerous Alabama offensive coordinators that weren’t able to maximize his skill set. He also doesn’t have as good of an arm as either Murray or Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

There could be some unforeseen hurdles that Riley has to work through to get Hurts acquainted to life with the Oklahoma offense. And, this is also going to be a big stylistic change for Hurts to go from playing with Alabama in the SEC West to Oklahoma in the Big 12. Oklahoma had a hapless defense for much of the 2018 campaign, and the offense operates a lot faster than Alabama’s.

The adapting time that Hurts takes with the Sooners could play to the benefit of the Horns. If he isn’t completely adjusted to the pace of the Oklahoma offense by the time the Red River Showdown gets here, the Horns could take advantage.