The debate going into the NFC championship game was whether or not Alabama could claim Jalen Hurts as a Crimson Tide great.

It’s a silly sports argument, of course, but Alabama’s rivals have to take their shots when they can. The opportunities don’t come around often these days. Alabama fans love Hurts, and Hurts loves Alabama, so that’s good enough for me. Hurts is also an Alabama grad, so that should end any doubt.

There’s something bigger happening now that Hurts is headed to the Super Bowl, but it still centers around the quarterback’s identity at Alabama. His success and struggles in Tuscaloosa molded Hurts into who he is today, and what he represents. He was “built by Bama” alright, but in a more meaningful way than the billboards could ever advertise.

It doesn’t matter who claims him anymore, doesn’t it? Show me someone who doesn’t love Jalen Hurts, and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t really like sports at all. Hurts shared a quarterback room with Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones at Alabama. All three are starting quarterbacks in the NFL. In that crucible, the pressure and weight of competition created diamonds.

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Push yourself to the limit. You might come up short today, but your lungs will carry more oxygen into the fight tomorrow. That’s the Jalen Hurts story, and win or lose on Super Bowl Sunday no one can take it away from him.

When Philadelphia and Kansas City meet in Super Bowl LVII on Feb.12 in Glendale, Arizona, Hurts will be the first former Alabama quarterback to start in the Super Bowl in 47 years. Here’s the list: Starr, Namath, Stabler and Hurts. They are legends that only need one name. That’s the air that Hurts breathes now.

With an underdog story and something to prove, the Alabama star who was benched at halftime of a national championship game is starting to feel a lot like America’s quarterback. I’m not saying Hurts is the new Tom Brady. I’m just saying people connect with Hurts on a deeper level, and see the best of what we can be through Hurts’ journey.

As the sports columnist for AL.com, I don’t really have rooting interests in who wins the games. For Hurts, for the biggest sporting event of the year, I’m making an exception. Go Birds. As Hurts sang on national television after the NFC championship game, “Fly, Eagles, fly.”

Hurts might not be the best quarterback in the Super Bowl, but he is the most popular. And that’s saying a lot because the other guy is Patrick Mahomes.

Both are great quarterbacks. Both are even better teammates.

Philadelphia is cruising into the Super Bowl after a 31-7 victory against San Francisco. Mahomes and Kansas City had a tougher time in the AFC championship game, needing some help along the way in the Chiefs’ 23-20 victory against Cincinnati. I’ll take the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. Hurts is healthy, and I’m not betting against a team with Landon Dickerson on the offensive line and DeVonta Smith at receiver.

Maybe Hurts wasn’t always the best quarterback in the room at Alabama, but he always had class. He was doubted at Alabama, and he was doubted when he was drafted by the Eagles. He never let it bother him, but he certainly used it all as motivation. Asked about his path to the Super Bowl after the victory against San Francisco, Hurts dropped his favorite Bible verse.

“You know, I went through a lot of stuff in college — and it kind of stuck with me — John 13:7,” Hurts said. “’You may not know now, but later you’ll understand.’

“Hopefully, people understand.”

It took some people longer than others, but they’re figuring it out. And if you had Hurts as the first quarterback from the Saban era making it to the Super Bowl, then let me know your thoughts on the stock market while you’re at it.

People are rooting for Hurts’ success because of how he managed his personal setbacks while in college. He’s in the Super Bowl by way of Alabama and then Oklahoma. One school gave him the tools to compete, and the other put him back in the ring. It was Hurts himself who kept punching.

Philadelphia’s star and America’s quarterback will be swinging like Rocky Balboa in the Super Bowl.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama: A season of hope and the making of Nick Saban’s ‘ultimate team’”. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.