This is an opinion column.

Let me tell you a Jalen Hurts story. You have never heard it because I have never told it. The other two people in the room at the time have never shared it, either, as far as I know. It’s a story that’s particularly relevant at the moment as Hurts prepares to lead the Philadelphia Eagles into the NFC Championship Game and fans debate whether Alabama can “claim him” since he didn’t finish his college career there.

This story triggers questions with no empirical answers and invites contemplation of an alternate reality that never seemed necessary to consider. Until now.

Did Alabama get the best out of Jalen Hurts? Would he be a finalist for NFL MVP in his third professional season if he hadn’t left Alabama for Oklahoma after his junior year? Conventional wisdom around here has been clear. Nick Saban made the right call when he chose Tua Tagovailoa over Hurts as the Alabama starter for 2018.

In hindsight, are we still sure?

Now for the story. It was the summer of 2019. I was out of state visiting a former NFL player from the state of Alabama to discuss a project. His son was a high school quarterback with potential so he’d hired a personal coach to tutor him. That coach once played quarterback in the NFL.