Eagles’ Jalen Hurts spreads ‘love and positivity’ at his football camp
The quarterback acknowledged the outbreak of violence throughout the city. "The opportunity I have is to show these kids, you don’t have to choose the wrong way," he says.
Despite being situated several hundred feet away, each child on the grass field knew exactly who had just pulled into the adjacent parking lot shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday.
That’s precisely when an all-white Jeep Wagoneer came to a complete stop. The driver’s side door propped open and out popped Jalen Hurts, marking the Eagles quarterback’s grand arrival for his youth football camp at Cheltenham High School.
“I’m here to spread love and positivity,” Hurts said at the beginning of the event. “These kids can do anything they put their mind to. I’ve always been big on being in the community, trying to make a difference in the community. Doing that at Oklahoma to Alabama, back home in Houston, and now being here in Philly — trying to do the same thing. This is a really big day for me.”
Throughout the three-hour camp intended for girls and boys between ages 6 and 16, Hurts, while sporting a green Phillies cap and a large gold Cuban link chain around his neck, made his way across the field. He stopped at each station and led groups through an assortment of football drills.
The most lively action of the day occurred during one-on-one route drills, in which Hurts would dial up a plan with his receiver and release the football from the pocket. Some of the passes and catches generated loud applause from nearby onlookers as camp attendees hauled in throws from Hurts.
“My son enjoys attending camps all the time, but this one is special,” said Curtis Evans, whose 11-year-old son Caiden participated in the camp. Caiden is a quarterback for the Olney Eagles Tri-State Sports youth organization and a sixth grader at Franklin Town Middle School in Northeast Philadelphia.
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“This time, he gets to see his favorite quarterback so he was very excited about this one,” Evans said. “He loved how Jalen critiqued his throw because he’s viewed as a shorter quarterback and Caiden isn’t that tall. That’s why he looks up to Jalen so much. Being a quarterback is his dream, and the greatest education you can get is that direct plan.”
Hurts’ camp was titled “Breed of 1.” Inscribed on the back of each camp T-shirt were the pillars that Hurts wanted to build his camp around: confidence, perseverance, resolute, courage, and swagger. He explained the thought process behind his camp’s branding.
“Breed of 1 is instilling self-confidence in these kids,” Hurts said. “Pushing them to be their best selves, trusting themselves, and chasing their dreams. It’s a mentality. I don’t want it to be football-related, it can be whatever you want it to be. The reality is there’s so much going on in the world today. We have so many different people pulling everybody in different directions, but I want everybody to realize they’re a Breed of 1. Everybody has something that makes them unique. I want to relay that message.”
The message made it to Cheltenham High football coach Troy Gore.
“We need this in this city right now,” Gore said. “We need our kids being active, having these resources to interact with a figure like Jalen Hurts. We appreciate him being a leader for our kids.”
Hurts recalled attending former Texans and four-time All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson’s youth camp as a young boy in his native Houston.
“I got the opportunity to meet him and catch passes from him,” Hurts said. “That was a very memorable moment for me. I want to create that same opportunity for these kids today. Hopefully make it a day that they will remember forever.”
Hurts also touched on the recent acts of violence that have occurred across the city, and his intention of making an impact through his platform.
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“My time being here so far, people are so passionate about everything that goes on in this city,” Hurts said. “But there’s so much negativity, so much stuff that goes wrong. The opportunity I have is to show these kids, you don’t have to choose the wrong way. This is a day of spreading love, positivity, and self-confidence.”
Hurts, who turns 24 on Aug. 7, was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. Last season was his first as the team’s full-time starter under coach Nick Sirianni. The 6-foot-1, 223-pound quarterback completed 61.3% of his throws with 16 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. Hurts also rushed for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns, which marked the most rushing touchdowns by any Eagles quarterback in a season. The Eagles finished 9-8 and reached the NFC wild-card round.
The season is rapidly approaching, with training camp scheduled to begin July 26.
“I can’t wait, I really can’t wait,” Hurts said. “We’ve put in a lot of work. Everybody has been grinding. When the time comes, we’ll be ready. We’re taking it day by day, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come.”