Jalen Hurts' story is one of remarkable resolve. Benched on the biggest stage at Alabama, he became a Heisman Trophy finalist at Oklahoma and ascended from a backup in the NFL to a Super Bowl MVP.
A closer look at the constant turnover Hurts has dealt with throughout his college and NFL careers makes his development even more impressive. The Philadelphia Eagles QB has had nine play-callers in 10 seasons since arriving at Alabama, a trend that continued in 2025 after Kellen Moore left for a head coaching opportunity.
Hurts' laundry list of offensive play-callers includes some of the biggest coaching names in college football, along with some current and former NFL head coaches.
Here's a complete look at every offensive play-caller Hurts has had between his college and NFL careers.
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Lane Kiffin, 2016
The final season of Lane Kiffin's three-year stint as Alabama's offensive coordinator coincided with Jalen Hurts' freshman season in Tuscaloosa. Hurts totaled 35 touchdowns as a freshman at Alabama, going all the way to the national championship game before falling to Clemson in a thriller.
Kiffin wasn't there for the title game, as he accepted the head coaching job at FAU and stayed on for the playoff semifinal before being let go by Alabama ahead of the national championship in a bold decision by Nick Saban. It wouldn't be the last time Kiffin was told by a playoff team to go start his new job elsewhere.
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Steve Sarkisian, 2016
Steve Sarkisian spent one game as Hurts' offensive play-caller, taking over those duties from Kiffin for the national championship game against Clemson, which would end in a narrow Alabama loss.
Sarkisian spent the rest of the 2016 season on Alabama's staff as an offensive analyst, receiving a chance to jump back into coaching after a battle with alcoholism ended his time as USC's head coach in 2015. Sarkisian would return to Alabama as offensive coordinator in 2019 and spend two more seasons under Saban.
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Brian Daboll, 2017
Lane Kiffin was replaced on a full-time basis by Brian Daboll in an experimental decision by Saban, as Daboll hadn't coached at the collegiate level since 1999 before being pried away from the New England Patriots in 2017. Jalen Hurts only threw one interception under Daboll in 2017, but Alabama's passing game was generally less efficient, and Hurts was benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the national championship game that was ultimately won by the Crimson Tide.
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Mike Locksley, 2018
With questions about his own future lingering, Jalen Hurts experienced another coaching change when Daboll was hired as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator under Sean McDermott. This time, Alabama's hire came from within, as Mike Locksley was promoted from co-OC to the full-time role after two seasons on Nick Saban's staff.
Hurts didn't spend much time working directly with Locksley in 2018, as Alabama handed the keys to Tagovailoa. Hurts did enter for Alabama in the SEC championship game, earning a moment of redemption by leading the Crimson Tide to a win, but he ultimately didn't see the field much in 2018 and entered the transfer portal after the season.
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Lincoln Riley, 2019
Jalen Hurts made the wise decision to transfer to Oklahoma and play under Lincoln Riley, who also served as the Sooners' offensive play-caller. While Joe Burrow's historic season prevented Hurts from becoming Oklahoma's third consecutive Heisman winner, Hurts rebuilt his NFL Draft stock as the Sooners' quarterback, accounting for 52 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards between his passing and rushing production.
Riley, of course, stayed on as Oklahoma's head coach and play-caller in 2020, but Hurts ran out of eligibility and set his sights on the NFL.
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Doug Pederson, 2020
The Eagles didn't have an offensive coordinator in 2020, with head coach Doug Pederson calling plays for Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts spent most of his rookie season on the bench, but he was thrust into the starting role in early December when Pederson made the consequential decision to bench Carson Wentz. While Pederson was hoping to get a chance to oversee Hurts' first full season as a starter, the Super Bowl-winning coach was fired after the 2020 season.
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Shane Steichen, 2021-22
Nick Sirianni arrived as Eagles head coach with an offensive background, but he brought over Shane Steichen as his offensive coordinator and let Steichen take the reins of the offense after initially calling plays himself to start the season. Philadelphia outperformed expectations in 2021 and morphed into a juggernaut in 2022, with Hurts accounting for 35 total touchdowns to six interceptions and the Eagles falling just short in Super Bowl 57. Steichen remains the only offensive play-caller to spend more than one season in the role with Hurts as his quarterback.i'll
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Brian Johnson, 2023
The Eagles promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson after Shane Steichen left to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, hoping to create some continuity for a high-flying offense, but their season went off the rails after a hot start. Philadelphia spiraled in December and suffered a wild-card loss in the playoffs, resulting in Johnson's firing at the end of the season. Hurts threw a career-worst 15 interceptions in 2023.
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Kellen Moore, 2024
With the Los Angeles Chargers making a coaching change, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore became available and returned to the NFC East to take the reins of the Eagles' offense. The results were spectacular.
While Hurts didn't have the most eye-popping season from a passing perspective, the Eagles got a 2,000-yard rushing season out of Saquon Barkley and cruised to a championship with a powerful offense. By the time the book closed on the Eagles' championship run, Moore became the New Orleans Saints' head coach.
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Kevin Patullo, 2025
Looking for some continuity after Kellen Moore's exit without repeating the Brian Johnson saga, the Eagles promoted passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo to the offensive coordinator role. The Eagles' offense hasn't looked quite the same as it did in 2024, with Hurts doing well to avoid turnovers but Saquon Barkley struggling with efficiency and the passing game often lacking explosive plays even as Philadelphia remains in position for a playoff return. If the Eagles don't reach their goals, the door could be open for a 10th offensive play-caller in 11 years for Hurts.
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