Alabama football snuck into the College Football Playoff after a 27-24 win over No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game, and quarterback Jalen Milroe has been a driving force of the Crimson Tide's playoff push.
Milroe 's play has also caught the attention of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts , who like Milroe played at Alabama from 2016-18 and was a Heisman Trophy finalist at Oklahoma in 2019 . Both quarterbacks are also Texas natives, with Milroe hailing from Katy and Hurts from Houston.
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"He's had a great year," Hurts told reporters on Wednesday . "He's always been a very special player, being a Texas kid. He's just continued to grow and grow and grow, and it's been really nice to watch. I've been supporting him from a distance and just happy to see him get into the final four and happy to see him have an opportunity to lead his team and hopefully get a national title. All my support goes to him."
After completing 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns against the Bulldogs, Milroe also channeled his best Hurts impression by quoting one of the NFL's best players. After he earned SEC championship MVP honors, Milroe offered this familiar phrase :
"Before anyone had an opinion of me, I had my purpose already," Milroe said. "The biggest thing was just stay true to myself and I had the right support system around me to uplift me."
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The quote was almost the exact same Hurts shared before last season's Super Bowl.
"I had a purpose before anybody had an opinion," Hurts said in February.
Milroe was benched in Alabama's narrow 17-3 Week 3 win over USF, but has since started 10 games and emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in college football. He will need to be at his best as the Crimson Tide takes on No. 1 Michigan at the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year's Day.
Passing:171 of 261 (65.5%) for 2,718 yards and 23 touchdowns to six interceptions
Rushing:140 carries for 468 yards and 12 touchdowns
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Eagles' Jalen Hurts calls Alabama QB Jalen Milroe 'a very special player'
