Jalen Tyler Hurd (born January 23, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Tennessee for three years and Baylor for one year.

Early years

Hurd played football at

Beech Senior High School Beech High School is one of two public high schools in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The school is located in the Shackle Island community on Long Hollow Pike, near the intersection of Shackle Island Road, Long Hollow Pike, and New Hope Road, just t ...

Hendersonville, Tennessee Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 61,753 at the 2020 census. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area after Nashville, Murfreesboro, an ...

. As a junior in 2012, he rushed for a Tennessee state record 3,357 yards with 43

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

. In the state championship game of his junior season, Hurd rushed for a Tennessee state championship record 394 yards and seven touchdowns leading his team to victory. He played in one game his senior year after suffering a shoulder injury against Station Camp High School. In

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, Hurd competed in hurdles (41.15 seconds in the 300m hurdles) and sprints (23.34 in the

200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and 51.79 in the

400-meter dash The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

). Hurd was rated by the

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

recruiting network as a five-star recruit and was ranked among the top running backs in the Class of 2014. He committed to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

to play

under head coach

Butch Jones Lyle Allen "Butch" Jones Jr. (born January 17, 1968) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Arkansas State University. Jones previously served as a special assistant to the head coach and offensive analyst at the Univ ...

. In 2015, Beech Senior High School retired his No. 18 jersey.

College career

University of Tennessee

2014 season

In 2014, Hurd appeared in 13 games and made nine starts as a true freshman at Tennessee. He shared the backfield with

Marlin Lane Marlin A. Lane Jr. (born December 31, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Tennessee. Early years Lane is the son of Marlin Lane Sr. and Milinia Williams. He attended Mainland High School, where he p ...

, Devrin Young and Justus Pickett. He had 11 carries for 29 yards, two receptions for 16 yards and a 15-yard touchdown reception in a 38–7 win against Utah State. In a 34–19 victory over

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage l ...

, Hurd had 23 carries for 83 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Against No. 4

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, he had 97 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards in the 34–10 loss. Hurd had 24 carries for 119 rushing yards in a 35–32 loss against No. 12

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Hurd fumbled and the ball was recovered by Georgia defender Josh Dawson for a touchdown. He gained 39 rushing yards in a 10–9 loss to the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

, seven rushing yards against the

Chattanooga Mocs The Chattanooga Mocs (formerly the Chattanooga Moccasins) are the 16 teams representing the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in intercollegiate athletics. The Mocs compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and a ...

, and 40 rushing yards against Ole Miss. Hurd had 16 carries for 59 yards and six receptions for 27 yards in a 34–20 loss against the No. 4

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

. Hurd had 21 carries for 125 rushing yards, seven receptions for 58 yards and a receiving touchdown in a 45–42 double-overtime victory over

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. In a 50–16 victory over

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, Hurd had 118 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Hurd had rushed for 40 yards and had 40 receiving yards in a 29–21 loss to

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. In a 24–17 victory Vanderbilt, he carried the ball five times for 21 yards. Tennessee finished with a 6–6 record and earned its first appearance in a bowl game since the 2010 season. In the

2015 TaxSlayer Bowl The 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2015, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 70th edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Iowa Hawkeyes from the Big Ten Conference and the Tennes ...

, Hurd had 16 carries for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a 45–28 victory. He finished the 2014 season with 899 rushing yards on 190 carries and five touchdowns.

2015 season

Hurd shared the backfield with transfer

Alvin Kamara Alvin Mentian Kamara (born July 25, 1995) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee after transferring from Hutchinson Community College and wa ...

and true freshman John Kelly in the 2015 season. He had 23 carries for 123 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 59–30 victory against

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

. In a 31–24 double-overtime loss to No. 19

, Hurd had 24 carries for 106 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He rushed for 68 yards, had two receptions for 12 yards and scored a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a 55–10 victory over

Western Carolina Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded t ...

. In a 28–27 loss to the

, he had 102 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Over the next six games, Hurd totaled 485 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He had 80 rushing yards in a 38–31 victory over No. 19

and 92 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 19–14 loss to No. 8

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. In the 2015 Missouri game, he ran for a career-high 151 yards, which put him greater than 1,000 yards for the season, in a 19–8 victory. Hurd had 120 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 53–28 victory against the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...

. Tennessee finished the season with a 9–4 record and played against No. 12

Northwestern Wildcats The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and the only private university in the conference. Northwestern ...

in the 2016 Outback Bowl. In a 45–6 victory, Hurd was named Most Valuable Player after gaining 24 carries for 130 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He finished the regular season with 1,158 yards, the 12th most recorded by a Tennessee running back and the most since

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2016 season

Hurd started his junior season with 28 carries for 110 rushing yards in a 20–13 overtime victory over

Appalachian State Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

after recovering a

Joshua Dobbs Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth rou ...

fumble for a touchdown. In the

2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol The Battle at Bristol was an American college football game played at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee on Saturday, September 10, 2016, between the University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies. It holds the record ...

against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, he had 22 carries for 99 yards in a 45–24 victory. In a 38–28 victory over No. 19

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Hurd had 26 carries for 95 yards and two receptions for 25 yards and a receiving touchdown. Hurd was sidelined with a head injury suffered against

. After the game against

, head coach

announced that Hurd would transfer schools. Hurd finished his Tennessee career with 2,638 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 67 receptions, 492 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. He finished sixth in school history in rushing yards.

Baylor University

2017 season

On April 22, 2017, Hurd announced he would transfer to

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

, requiring him to sit out the 2017 season.

2018 season

At Baylor, Hurd had three games with at least 100 receiving yards. He had 136 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against UTSA, 104 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against

, and 135 receiving yards against

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. He finished the season with 69 receptions for 946 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns with 48 carries for 209 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. After injuring his knee in the season finale, Hurd was unable to play in the Texas Bowl against Vanderbilt. Hurd was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Hurd was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the third round, 67th overall, in the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on October 3, 2019, with a back injury and was unable to play in the

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which Green Bay defeated Chicago. The season concluded w ...

. Hurd was placed on injured reserve for a second consecutive season on August 20, 2020, after he tore his ACL during a running drill at training camp, ending his 2020 season participation. On September 11, 2021, Hurd was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was later released on November 11, 2021, after spending each of his three seasons on injured reserve, and never taking a regular season snap with the 49ers.

References

External links

*
Collegiate statistics at Sports-Reference.comBaylor Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurd, Jalen 1996 births Living people People from Hendersonville, Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee American football wide receivers American football running backs Tennessee Volunteers football players Baylor Bears football players San Francisco 49ers players