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On Jan. 16, 2019, Jalen Hurts brought one chapter of his extraordinary journey to an end and began the next. That day, Hurts penned a letter in The Players' Tribune titled "To My Alabama Family."

The 824-word letter gave Hurts a chance to bid farewell to Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide before heading to Norman to become a Sooner. The quarterback thanked his coaches, teammates and the Alabama faithful, but two sentences resonated as Hurts described his journey up to that point.

"Not everyone in this life gets the chance to be a role model," Hurts wrote. "And that's why I'm on this mission: to be the best player, leader and man I can be."

It's a mission that he credits to his upbringing as a coach's kid from Houston, Texas, and it's a mission Hurts has stuck to throughout the highs and lows of his collegiate career.

For over a decade, Averion Hurts, Jalen's father, has served as Channelview High School's head football coach, while Pamela, his mother, teaches special education in the same district. Hurts was raised in a family deeply invested in public education, spending much of his youth in Channelview's athletics facilities.

"He's got an amazing heart, amazing perspective, and he's a very special young man."
- Tim Tebow

"I was that kid in the field house," Hurts said. "Just being around the older guys and seeing those guys play for my father. Being a ball boy, running down the sideline, throwing the ball to the refs when they need a new ball in a game. Just those little things. Those are things that I'll never forget."

The Sooner quarterback fully appreciates how those days as a child shaped him into the man he is today, and he has been active in creating similarly impactful experiences for children during his collegiate career. Throughout his time at Alabama, Hurts consistently made time to serve the community's youth, regardless of what was happening on the field.

In April 2017, a video of Hurts surprising a Crimson Tide fan at the Arts 'N Autism after-school program went viral on Twitter. After taking a required visit to the Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Detention Center, Hurts returned to volunteer on his own time.

Barely a month after being replaced at halftime of the 2018 CFP National Championship, he attended the local Night to Shine. The event, organized by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is a prom night to celebrate children with special needs.

"When it was a time that was tough for him, he even remembered what was most important, and that's serving and helping and loving people, especially those who have never been cheered, clapped for or celebrated," said Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner.

"He's got an amazing heart, amazing perspective, and he's a very special young man. I'm so grateful for the way he has loved so many people with special needs."

Tebow explained that Hurts cares more about the overall mission than the personal gain, and the Sooners' captain agrees.

"It's something that I do genuinely, and I love it," Hurts explained. "I love impacting people and inspiring people, uplifting them. The youth – they're so powerful, and they don't even know it yet."

Hurts' attitude hasn't wavered since arriving in Norman.

Just 12 days after his letter was published in The Players' Tribune, the new Sooner headed to Lloyd Noble Center to watch the OU men's basketball team take on Vanderbilt. At halftime, a line of Sooner fans formed to his seat. Hurts graciously posed for photos and signed autographs, one-by-one.

Shortly after he arrived in the Sooner State, Hurts made a call to OU football's director of operations, Clarke Stroud. He wanted to get involved with a local school and ended up joining a mentorship program at Norman's Lincoln Elementary School.

"I would go out and play recess with them, play football with them," he said. "I was that kid one day, and that's something they will always remember for the rest of their lives... That's our future."

The quarterback was especially excited to spend one-on-one time with students, according to Lincoln Elementary School principal Olivia Dean. Hurts was ready and motivated to invest in the school and leave a tangible impact.

"When you meet him, he has a presence about him," Dean said. "He has a very wise, beyond his years kind of approach... I know he knows that it starts with the youth. He knows that it's not just about playing football."

The graduate transfer wasted no time ingraining himself in the Norman community, but many wondered how Hurts, coming from an Alabama team that had just defeated the Sooners in the CFP Semifinals, would embrace the leadership role most recently filled by Heisman Trophy winners Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield.

Before ever taking a snap, Hurts was elected one of four team captains by his teammates, a resounding stamp of approval.

When he finally did take the reins, Hurts led Oklahoma to a 49-31 season-opening victory over Houston, racking up 508 total yards and immediately placing himself in the Heisman conversation.

Since then, Hurts sits at or near the top of numerous statistical categories, including yards per completion, pass efficiency and total offense, as the leader of the nation's top offense. The quarterback has already been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien Awards, among an impressive list of accolades picked up so far this season.

But for Hurts, performance on the field is only a small part of his definition of success.

"I think coming here and being here for such a short time, you want to leave an impact on people," Hurts said. "You want to be remembered for something greater than what you did on the field. I just want to show people that I'm a loving guy."

"God gave me this opportunity and this platform, so I just try and take advantage of it and inspire those who are watching."
- Jalen Hurts

After Oklahoma's dramatic 42-41 victory over Iowa State, OU head coach Lincoln Riley welcomed 12-year-old bullying victim Rayden Overbay into the locker room. Hurts spent time with Overbay and even autographed a game ball for him.

"It brings me back to reality in terms of appreciating what it is I do," Hurts said of the time he spends with children. "We often get so caught up in wins, what we want, what we need, instead of really appreciating what God has blessed us with and impacting, inspiring the youth."

In October, the Houston native was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, which will be presented in January to the student-athlete who best exemplifies excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.

Whether he brings home the award or not, Hurts has accomplished a seemingly impossible feat: uniting two of the most passionate, proud and competitive fan bases in the nation behind his success, and it's not because of touchdown passes or box scores. It's because of character.

"I guess there's another side of me that I'm not afraid to show when it comes to helping, inspiring, impacting people," Hurts said. "God gave me this opportunity and this platform, so I just try and take advantage of it and inspire those who are watching."

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