Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa stats comparison: How Alabama QBs fared in college, NFL
The football journey for former Alabama football quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa is something straight out of a storybook. On Sunday, Hurts and the Eagles (5-1) face Tagovailoa and the Dolphins (5-1) on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" in a battle between the NFL's best records.
Hurts and Tagovailoa's became tight-knit at Alabama, where they played together from 2017-18. Hurts won a national championship as the Crimson Tide's starter in 2016 and led them to another title game appearance in 2017. But Hurts struggled in the game against Georgia in 2017 and was replaced by Tagovailoa, who led a comeback to win the national championship. Tagovailoa then beat out Hurts for the starting job in 2018.
More: Why was Jalen Hurts benched for Tua Tagovailoa? How QB change helped Alabama win 2018 CFP
But when Tagovailoa was injured against Georgia in the 2018 SEC Championship Game, Hurts entered for Alabama and led two touchdown drives with under six minutes to go to win 35-28. After the season, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and re-invented himself as a passer, finishing runner-up for the 2019 Heisman Trophy.
Tagovailoa finished runner-up for the Heisman in 2018 but battled injuries in 2019. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa was drafted fifth overall by Miami, and Hurts was taken 53rd by Philadelphia.
The Crimson Tide products have emerged as two of the best quarterbacks on the planet, with Hurts finishing second in last season's MVP voting and leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl berth. Tagovailoa on the other hand leads the NFL in passing yards (1,876) and touchdowns (14) this season.
"It's been great to see the things he's been able to do over his career," Hurts told reporters Wednesday. "Hopefully, hoping for continued success."
Tagovailoa added Wednesday: "I got a lot of respect for Jalen. He's been a great competitor since I got there to Alabama. He's been a special player since I've been there and he's been a special player throughout his entire college career."
Here's a breakdown of the star quarterbacks' college and NFL stats:
Jalen Hurts college stats
YEAR | CMP-ATT | YDS | TDS | INTS | RUSH YDS | RUSH TDS |
2016 | 240-382 (62.8%) | 2,780 | 23 | 9 | 954 | 13 |
2017 | 154-254 (60.6%) | 2,081 | 17 | 1 | 855 | 8 |
2018 | 51-70 (72.9%) | 765 | 8 | 2 | 167 | 2 |
*2019 | 237-340 (69.7%) | 3,851 | 32 | 8 | 1,298 | 20 |
Tua Tagovailoa college stats
YEAR | CMP-ATT | YDS | TDS | INTS | RUSH YDS | RUSH TDS |
2017 | 49-77 (63.6%) | 636 | 11 | 2 | 133 | 2 |
2018 | 245-355 (69.0%) | 3,966 | 43 | 6 | 190 | 5 |
2019 | 180-252 (71.4%) | 2,840 | 33 | 3 | 17 | 2 |
Jalen Hurts NFL stats
YEAR | CMP-ATT | YDS | TDS | INTS | RUSH YDS | RUSH TDS |
2020 | 77-148 (52%) | 1,061 | 6 | 4 | 354 | 3 |
2021 | 265-432 (61.3%) | 3,144 | 16 | 9 | 784 | 10 |
2022 | 306-460 (66.5%) | 3,701 | 22 | 6 | 760 | 13 |
2023 | 141-213 (66.2%) | 1,542) | 7 | 7 | 253 | 5 |
Tua Tagovailoa NFL stats
YEAR | CMP-ATT | YDS | TDS | INTS | RUSH YDS | RUSH TDS |
2020 | 186-290 (64.1%) | 1,814 | 11 | 5 | 109 | 3 |
2021 | 263-388 (67.8%) | 2,653 | 16 | 10 | 128 | 3 |
2022 | 259-400 (64.8%) | 3,548 | 25 | 8 | 70 | 0 |
2023 | 140-197 (71.1%) | 1,876 | 14 | 5 | 21 | 0 |
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa stats: How Alabama QBs fared in college, NFL
