The quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles says he wants to be an excellent example for children who are watching him and to be “remembered as someone who made a difference” in the lives of others off the football field.

Hurts, a dual-threat quarterback who played college football at Alabama and Oklahoma, says his Christian faith drives everything he does.

“That’s something that I’ve just matured in and realized – that God is everything and He’s worthy of praise,” Hurts told CBS Sports. “You have to put Him in the center of everything that you do. And that’s what I believe. I’ve been blessed to grow, learn things, and just mature. And I know God has been there the whole entire way.”

Hurts’ role as an NFL starting quarterback – and in a sports-crazed city – gives him a platform few others have. Hurts says he wants to use it for good. In 2022, his former high school associate principal, Alan Smith, phoned Hurts and asked if he could help purchase “three or four” uniforms for a local AAU basketball program in Houston that was running short on funds, Smith told CBS Sports. Hurts did that — and more. Soon, the AAU program had an estimated $15,000 in new equipment, from “jerseys to shoes to jogging shorts to athletic bags,” CBS Sports said.

Hurts says he tries to visit his hometown often during the offseason. “I just want to set the right example for the kid that does look up to me, the kid that does want to be something great and do something special with themselves,” Hurts told CBS Sports. “It may not even be the kid that looks up to me. They may look up to somebody else. But when they see the name Jalen Hurts, I want them to be able to say that’s an example of how I can do it.”

Hurts said, “… I keep God at the center of everything. I give Him all the praise. I lean on Him all the time. And I know that everything unfolds the way it’s supposed to. I just want to set the right example, and I want to be remembered [as] someone who made a difference. You know – that’s an everyday thing. It’s something that I think about every day.”

One of the main aspects of Christianity is using your blessings to bless others. Jalen Hurts uses that thought to give to his community and inspire children who want to follow his path. The best part is he doesn’t want anything in return; all he wants to do is encourage the next generation of boys who want to be quarterbacks. Because of his generous blessings, God will bless him ten times over.

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