The quarterback who guided the Philadelphia Eagles to an NFC title and an appearance in the Super Bowl says he has been inspired by a Bible verse that includes the words of Jesus.
Jalen Hurts passed for 121 yards and rushed for 39 yards and one touchdown Sunday in Philadelphia’s 31-7 victory over San Francisco in the NFC Championship, advancing the Eagles to Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs. It will be played on Feb. 12.
Hurts, who began his college career at Alabama before transferring to Oklahoma, quoted Scripture in a postgame news conference.
“I went through a lot of stuff in college and it kind of stuck with me – John 13:7. ‘You may not know now, but later you will understand.'”
Hurts called it “my favorite verse.”
It wasn’t the first time Hurts has quoted the passage. In his final season at Alabama, he posted it on Twitter, writing, “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand’ – John 13:7. Just let God work his magic.”
Hurts’ story is legendary in college football. He led Alabama to the College Football Playoffs during his freshman (2016) and sophomore (2017) seasons before getting benched in 2018 in favor of rising star Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts, though, never griped. He came off the bench in the SEC Championship in 2018 to lead Alabama to another conference title. He then transferred to Oklahoma, where he guided the Sooners to a Big 12 championship in 2019 and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Eagles drafted him in the second round.
He often discusses his Christian faith on social media. In September, he posted a photo of himself on Instagram in an Eagles uniform, kneeling in prayer. Hurts wrote, “He Who Kneels Before God, Can Stand Before Any Man.”
Hurts’ Instagram bio reads, “In God I Trust.”
“God is everything, and He’s worthy of praise,” Hurts told CBS Sports earlier this year. “You have to put Him in the center of everything that you do. And that’s what I believe. … I’ve been blessed to grow, learn things, and just mature. And I know God has been there the whole entire way.”
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.