Jalen Hurts attended the University of Alabama and the University of Oklahoma. During his first season at Alabama (2016), he helped the school reach the national championship game, where they were defeated by Clemson, 35–31. As a sophomore, Hurts again led Alabama to the championship game, this time against the University of Georgia. After Alabama fell behind, Hurts was replaced by backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who helped Alabama rally to win the game in overtime, 26–23. Tagovailoa’s performance relegated Hurts to the backup quarterback role.
In December 2018, after graduating from Alabama, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and played during the 2019 season, where he compiled a personal-best 3,851 passing yards, threw for 32 touchdowns, and accumulated 1,298 rushing yards. Hurts was voted runner-up for the 2019 Heisman Trophy. He led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff semifinals, where they lost to Louisiana State University, 63–28.