Maryland is Odds-On Favorite to Land Jalen Hurts

• Maryland has emerged as the heavy favorite to sign Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts
• Can anyone top the Terps’ sales pitch?
• Is Hurts a lock to start wherever he lands?

Speculation continues to swirl around Alabama QB Jalen Hurts, mainly because he won’t be classified as Alabama QB much longer.  He’s headed elsewhere and teams are lining up to make their pitch for the star from the SEC.  Bookmakers have released new odds that provide a glimpse into the way the winds blow.

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Maryland has emerged as the clear favorite for three very distinct reasons:

1. New Terps HC Mike Locksley

Like many NCAA coaches, guess where Mike Locksley came from? Alabama.  He was the OC there when Jalen Hurts was having success at Alabama (you know, before Tua Tagovailoa stole his job).  Hurts and Locksley are reported to have a very good relationship and this may be the biggest driving force for Maryland’s rise to the favorite in this chase.

Fans often look solely at the easiest place to win (in this case, see Oklahoma) and don’t pay enough attention to the human element.  If Hurts chooses Maryland, this is likely the reason why.

Jalen Hurts looks right at home with Locks at the @TerrapinHoops game tonight. 👀🔒

📷: @ajonesi pic.twitter.com/rzAvv9irAK

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 11, 2019

2. An Inviting Depth Chart at Maryland

Hurts has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining.  His days as a good soldier back up have come and gone. He’s looking for a starting gig and a starting gig only.  Picking a destination where there’s even a chance he doesn’t win the job would eliminate that school as an option.

Maryland’s QB room has some talent in Tyrelle Pigrome and the injured Kasim Hill, but neither would stand in the way of Hurts becoming the starter.  Maryland is a good blend of big school, but not big enough to be loaded with prospects providing a legitimate threat.

3. A BIG10 Schedule Full of Chances to Impress

Finding that school where Hurts can automatically start but still have chances to play important games is tough to find, but Maryland fits the bill. They have a tough BIG10 schedule that includes games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and a Nebraska team surely to take a step forward in Year 2 of the Scott Frost experiment.

Hurts has one last chance to prove he belongs in the NFL. Sitting on the bench isn’t an option and playing no-name competition won’t help much either. This schedule appears to provide the perfect amount of competition for Hurts in his final year of eligibility.

Here's your Top 25 for next CFB season!

1 Clemson
2 Bama
3 OSU
4 UGA
5 LSU
6 Michigan
7 Oklahoma
8 Texas
9 Florida
10 Washington
11 Texas A&M
12 Oregon
13 Auburn
14 PSU
15 WSU
16 Syracuse
17 VT
18 UCF
19 UK
20 Utah
21 Miss St
22 Where Jalen Hurts is
23 Northwestern
24 USC
25 Neb

— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 8, 2019

Final Sales Pitch

As you can see from the rankings above, wherever Hurts goes they’ll instantly get credibility. The odds suggest Maryland is the favorite (-200) for good reason. The bet here is the easy one, take the favorite and keep an eye out for his official announcement he’s headed to College Park this season.