4 Christians named to Time magazine's ‘100 Next’ list for 2023
Jalen Hurts
Also included on the list is the 25-year-old Hurts, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl last year after being drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft from the University of Oklahoma. Time describes hurts as a "phenom."
After sitting for most of his rookie season, he took over as the team's starter near the end of the 2020 season. He led the Eagles to an 8-7 record in 2021, then a 14-1 record and a Super Bowl birth in the 2022 season. The Eagles were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. If not for an injury late in the season, Hurts could have won the 2022 NFL MVP Award.
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Hurts has been open about his Christian faith throughout his career. His Instagram bio reads, "In God I Trust."
Hurts told Sports Spectrum in an interview video ahead of Super Bowl LVII that everyone goes through difficult times. In those challenging circumstances, he said, relying on faith is critical.
"That's something that I kind of came through in college. A Scripture that I lean on heavily is John 13:7, 'you may not know now, but later you'll understand,'" he said, paraphrasing the verse.
Along with faith comes hard work, Hurts detailed, adding that he acknowledges his faith by "me being me."
"Me being who God called me to be. I truly try to focus on the things that I can control, not the things that I can't. So, control the things you can, put the work in, never lose faith in what you believe in, and it usually works out," Hurts said.
NFL quarterback great Peyton Manning, who played in the NFL for 18 seasons, wrote in a tribute that he has admired Hurts ever since the younger quarterback served as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy, a summer football camp for high school players.
"I strongly respect his willingness to learn. He's always thinking about getting better. For example, he will sometimes text me questions about plays that his team can run in the red zone," Manning wrote.
"Though I sometimes have to remind him I haven't played in seven years (I have to dig into some old archives to remember plays), I've so enjoyed these conversations. Jalen is a natural leader who cares about his job and the organization that he plays for. The Eagles signed Jalen to a record-breaking contract extension this offseason, and he feels that accountability and responsibility to make them glad they made that investment. He's not celebrating. He doesn't see it as a reward. He sees it for what it is: the Eagles are paying him for what they expect him to do now. He's a model of how to approach a job. This is where the hard work begins."
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post.
