ESPN, Tom Brady now praising Jalen Hurts; Villanova fans will see a familiar face Saturday

How things have changed for Jalen Hurts.

Entering the 2021 season in his first year as the Eagles’ starter, not much was expected from him. NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms left him off a list of the NFL’s top 40 quarterbacks, and ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky led a chorus of critics who downplayed his potential as a starter.

A year and a half later, Hurts has led the Eagles to an NFL-best 10-1 record and is a legitimate MVP candidate alongside fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Tua Tagovailoa, his former teammate at Alabama.

In a list released on Wednesday, ESPN ranked Hurts the second-best quarterback and ninth-best player in the NFL under the age of 25, noting he is “the picture of the modern quarterback” thanks to his ability to defeat teams with his arm and legs.

“Hurts has risen from Day 2 draft prospect in 2020 to franchise quarterback in 2022, leading the Eagles to 10-1 atop the NFC,” ESPN noted. “His 60 career touchdowns (39 passing, 21 rushing) tell the story of his dual-threat ability, and his completion percentage made a jump from 61.3% last year to 67.3% this year.”

Hurts also received praise from future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, who was impressed with the young quarterback’s performance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, rushing for 157 yards, the most by a quarterback in franchise history. Hurts’ performance earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

“I’ve never rushed for more than a hundred yards in a season, I don’t think,” Brady joked on his Let’s Go! podcast. “He did it for 150 yards in a game and made it look relatively easy.”

Brady said he admired Hurts’ athleticism, but also credited the young quarterback’s awareness in the pocket and his ability to elude defenders.

“He knows exactly when to get down. He knows exactly when to get out of bounds. He starts to run, he stops, and he throws the ball,” Brady said. “That’s why that team is so successful. He’s playing at a very, very, very high level, and they’re a tough team to stop.”

Brady should have plenty of opportunity to watch Hurts play. Unless the 45-year-old decides to suit up again next season for the Buccaneers, he’ll join the broadcast booth at Fox alongside Kevin Burkhardt and possibly Greg Olsen, which is certain to feature a fair number of Eagles games.

Burkhardt and Olsen are calling Sunday’s Eagles game against the Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. on Fox. They’ll be joined by sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.

Villanova basketball fans will see a familiar face on TV Saturday.

During the CBS broadcast of Villanova’s game against Oklahoma at the Wells Fargo Center, former Wildcats basketball coach Jay Wright will make an appearance in the booth alongside announcers Tom McCarthy and Bill Raftery.

Maybe Wright can offer some insight about Villanova’s 2-5 start under first-year head coach Kyle Neptune.

“There is little elite about Villanova on the defensive side. The Wildcats don’t force turnovers or defend the three-point line particularly well over 40 minutes,” wrote Inquirer columnist Mike Jensen.

Wright will officially make his debut as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and Warner Brothers Discovery Sports (formerly Turner Sports) on Dec. 7 at the Finneran Pavilion for the Penn-Villanova game, which he’ll call alongside McCarthy and Steve Lappas. He’ll debut in the studio on Dec. 17 during a triple-header on CBS.

“I know I have a lot to learn in this business — I’m so familiar with those two, and it’ll be a great game. So, a great way to start for me,” Wright told The Inquirer last month, adding that he doesn’t seem himself coaching again.

“I really believe that I’m finished with coaching,” Wright said. “The only reason I don’t say never is that everybody tells me, ‘You’re going to want to [coach again],’ and everybody keeps asking.”