Eyes on the pride of Channelview
Hurts has a following as he leads Tide in second bid for title
Sitting in the stands watching football is taking some getting used to for Averion Hurts.
After spending years as ‘Coach’ to son Jalen, Averion is now just playing the roles of father and fan of the Alabama quarterback.
On Monday, Averion and his family will be in attendance to watch Jalen compete for a national title for the second straight season as the Crimson Tide faces Georgia for the College Football Playoff national championship.
“I probably watch the game a little differently,” Averion said. “It’s strange to sit there and not know what play is being called or what is going to happen. But I try really hard to just sit back and watch him play.”
Averion, the Channelview football coach, beams with pride when talking about his son.
Jalen has obviously made a name for himself on the national scene in the last two seasons at Alabama.
This season, he has thrown for 2,070 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 808 yards and eight touchdowns.
The sophomore dual-threat quarterback who started for Nick Saban as a freshman is a household name all over the country now, but several years ago he was just a kid hanging out in his dad’s office.
“The fieldhouse at Channelview was like a day care,” Averion said with a laugh about his sons Averion Jr. and Jalen. “They were always there hanging out, taking it all in.”
Averion was glad his boys felt at home in the fieldhouse and on the football field at Channelview. He played football there and graduated from the school in 1986.
His older son Averion Jr. was a quarterback a few years before Jalen and was a standout player. He went on to play at Texas Southern and graduated last year.
The brothers remain close and their father has enjoyed seeing how well each has turned out.
Chose his own path
Jalen always was a talented athlete.
It was important to his father not to push him toward football.
“I wanted him to make his own decision,” he said. But Jalen loved the game. And by the time he was in high school he showed a real knack for it.
“I think he made the biggest leap right before his junior year,” Averion said. “That’s when I knew he could really excel.”
He had 3,500 combined yards and 40 touchdowns as a junior and became a national recruit.
The offers started rolling in then. Jalen wanted to go to an SEC school. And he wanted to leave school with a business degree.
His senior year, he ended up with more than 3,700 total yards and 51 touchdowns.
He graduated early and got on Alabama’s campus in January.
By the next fall, he was starting for the Crimson Tide.
Taking some heat
While Jalen was earning national attention as a freshman, he remained a mystery to many because Saban shielded him from doing any interviews.
Even now, when he is allowed to talk, he’s reserved and quiet. He remains focused on football and tries to block outside noise. And there is plenty. As good as Jalen has been in his short time at Alabama, he has been criticized this year because his passing stats are down.
His turnovers also are down and Alabama is playing for a national title, so he isn’t worried about what’s being said about him.
“I’m my biggest critic,” Jalen said earlier this week. “I’ve said it plenty of times before. Nobody can be more critical on me than I can myself, and the biggest thing is just being able to learn from experiences and being able to fix them in the future.”
Community favorite
Jalen always has been the type of player who excels with the physical as well as mental sides of the game. That likely comes from his upbringing by a coach.
Averion frequently talked about football, scouted other teams and came up with plays and schemes he shared with his son.
The sport was always something they enjoyed sharing.
Averion is thrilled to see how far football has taken his youngest son.
And as Jalen has continued beyond the borders of Channelview, the entire community is behind him.
“It’s been really touching to see the reaction of everyone here,” Averion said. “He has a big fan base and a lot of people who are really proud of him. We all are.”
Family will be there
Averion is hoping for a better result this year in the championship game. Alabama lost last year to Clemson in the final.
He and his wife, other son and daughter will be cheering on the Crimson Tide from the stands. Jalen’s grandparents will attend.
The games are stressful for Averion who has to sit back and watch things play out without knowing the game plan or the scouting report. He tries really hard to stay out of all of that and just watch. He’s no longer the coach. He’s Jalen’s father. And his biggest fan. jenny.creech@chron.com twitter.com/jennydialcreech