These in title chase thank dad

Having a father as coach helped their development

ATLANTA — Jalen Hurts cherished those rides home from high school football practice.

It was a chance for some alone time with the man who was not just his father, but his coach.

Dad talked. His son would listen, soaking up all that knowledge.

“It’s just in your blood,” Jalen said Thursday during the Peach Bowl media day. “I remember as a kid I always wore a shirt that said, ‘Born To Play Football.’ I was born into this stuff because of my dad. I’m happy it happened that way.”

There is no doubt that being the son of a coach helped Hurts grow up faster than most. Certainly, it’s hard to envision him starting at quarterback as a freshman for No. 1 Alabama if not for the lessons he learned from his father, Averion

Hurts, the head coach at Channelview High near Houston.

Hurts is not alone in this year’s College

Football Playoff.

Joe Burrow, the heir apparent to

J.T. Barrett as Ohio

State’s quarterback, is the son of Ohio University’s defensive coordinator, Jimmy Burrow.

“I never coached Joe, but certainly his being around football and around sports at a very early age, I think that all adds up,” the elder Burrow said in a telephone interview this week. “He saw what it took to prepare as a coach and what our players did to prepare.”

Lane Kiffin can certainly relate. Alabama’s offensive coordinator is the son of longtime NFL defensive guru Monte Kiffin, a family edge that undoubtedly helped 41-year-old Lane advance up the coaching ranks faster than his peers.

“Everything is sped up,” said Kiffin, who already has been a head coach for two major universities and one NFL team, and will take over at Florida Atlantic as soon as the Crimson Tide’s playoff run is over. “If your dad’s a coach, and you’re around him a lot, you just start earlier than everyone

else.”

Lane was a ball boy for his dad’s NFL team while still in middle school. By high school, he was sitting in on coaches’ meetings. The youngster attended training camp, hung out with players, immersed himself in every aspect of game planning.

“No other kids were doing that,” Kiffin said. “Most coaches aren’t doing that until they start coaching.”

Hurts isn’t ready to go into coaching after leading topranked Alabama to a 13-0 record and a spot in Saturday’s Peach Bowl semifinal against No. 4 Washington (12-1). But, as the son of a coach, he picked up the sort of toughness and resilience that gave Nick Saban the confidence to start a freshman at the most visible position on the field.

Saban could appreciate what he was getting better than most. His late father was a prominent Pop Warner coach whose presence still seems to loom over every decision his son makes, even after winning five national titles.

“When your dad’s a coach, you spend a little bit more time talking about and developing a better understanding of the game itself and things that are important in the game,” Saban said.

Washington receiver Dante Pettis is also a coach’s son, though his situation is a bit different. His father, Gary Pettis, was a longtime major league outfielder who now serves as third-base coach for the Houston Astros.

Dante hasn’t gotten a lot of inside information about how to beat a cornerback, but he has picked plenty of valuable tips just being around his dad. “I’ve seen the work ethic,” Dante said. “I’ve seen not just what it takes to get to that level, but what it takes to stay at that level.”

When Joe Burrow was in third grade, he remembers analyzing film from pee-wee games with his father.

“We didn’t throw the ball a lot in third grade, but he would show me where to hit the hole, how they’re blocking it,” Burrow said Thursday at the Fiesta Bowl, where the secondseeded Buckeyes (11-1) are preparing to face No. 3 Clemson (12-1) in the other semifinal game.

Hurts said his father is going through an adjustment of his own. For the first time in years, he’s not coaching either Jalen or his older brother, who just completed his college career at Texas Southern.

But dad still wields enormous influence over his sons. Jalen is clearly guarded around the media and all those fans who want a piece of him after his freshman season.

“Keep your circle small,” Hurts said, relating the best advice he’s gotten from his dad. “The bigger you get, the smaller your circle should be.”