Recent Commit Jahlil Hurley Brings Elite Speed, Size and Work Ethic to Alabama's Future Secondary
Around this time three years ago, Florence High School’s coaching staff shook their heads at Kivon Coman. The first-year defensive backs coach had just been promoted to a varsity role after spending the previous season with the eighth-grade team. It was there that he was introduced to Jahlil Hurley, a lanky playmaker who dominated junior-high competition.
The following offseason, Coman pointed out the 150-pound freshman during practice and proclaimed, “That’s my starting cornerback."
“Nobody believed me,” Coman told BamaCentral. “People thought I was crazy because in 7A football you don’t really start freshmen. They saw how athletic he was, but they were like, ‘I don’t know if he’s going to be ready to play by the start of the season.’”
Coman looked on confidently.
“He’ll be ready,” he responded. “He’s going to be a special kid.”
Over the past three seasons, Hurley has caused heads to turn in a different fashion, locking down the cornerback position for Florence while developing into one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits. Tuesday, Alabama won the competition for his commitment as the five-star prospect chose the Crimson Tide among a top-five that also included Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas A&M.
Hurley is the second member of Alabama’s 2023 class, joining fellow defensive back Elliot Washington II, who committed on Jan. 31. The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder plays on both sides of the football for Florence while also starring on the basketball court. His spot in Alabama’s secondary will likely depend on how he continues to fill out his frame.
“I can see Jahlil playing corner, nickel or safety, to be honest,” Coman said. “If he plays corner, he’s going to bring size and length. He’s going to be able to run with any receiver that you put in front of him. If you put him at safety, he’ll obviously have to put on some weight, but he’s great at getting off blocks and has the ability to play there, too. If teams want to run more, I line him up at safety or inside at nickel because he can get off blocks well and he’s a willing tackler.
“He’s bringing speed, length and athleticism to the backend of that defense. He’s got that Minkah Fitzpatrick style to him in that he can make plays wherever he lines up on the field."
Hurley was named to the Class 7A first-team defense by the Alabama Sports Writers Association last season after recording five interceptions, five pass breakups and a forced fumble for the Falcons. The do-it-all athlete also tallied 671 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the air while totaling 241 yards and another score as a returner on special teams.
Hurley’s talent might be unmistakable now, but his ascension to stardom included a few early hiccups.
Despite Hurley’s wiry frame as a freshman, Coman had him work primarily out of press coverage during his first season on varsity. The idea behind the trial-by-fire approach was to force the young defender to grow up fast while teaching him to utilize his footwork and technique to lock down receivers. It worked, but not without some humbling lessons.
“I was getting scored on like every game, and I just decided I didn’t want to get scored on no more,” Hurley told BamaCentral. “So I just went with [Coman] every day and put in the work after school. It was just me and him in the indoor facility every day for an hour and a half.He told me that was what it was going to take because that’s what he did, so I knew I had to do the same thing.”
Coman, who starred at Florence himself before playing safety for Mississippi State from 2013-16, sculpted Hurley’s competitive side. Serving as equal parts father figure and coach, he challenged the defender through every phase of those workouts, racing him to be the first one on the practice field and pushing him to stay on it through endless drills.
“Throughout the offseason, all he cared about was not letting anyone else catch a pass on him,” Coman recalled. “The way we trained, everything had to be an interception or a deflection. Nobody was catching a ball on him.”
The next year, no one did.
Hurley went his entire sophomore season without giving up a completion in man-to-man coverage. Following a similarly-stellar campaign last year, opposing offenses have begun to shy away from his side of the field altogether during games.
“I started to see a difference at the beginning of my sophomore season,” Hurley said. “After a couple of games it was like, ‘Hey, I could actually be good at this if I continue to work. That’s how I got to this point, so that’s what I’m going to continue doing.”
Coman can attest to that.
“When we’re in the film room, he always has his notebook open,” Coman said. “Then when we’re in practice or when we’re training, he’ll make people get in different spots so he can work through different plays. All the things he sees on film, he recreates them. He tries to do anything he can to make sure he’s ready for everything before it happens.”
Coman says he can’t help but see a bit of himself in Hurley, stating the defender still picks his brain in search of improvement. Then again, when asked to compare himself to the five-star talent, he just shakes his head and laughs.
“He’s so much better than I was at that age,” Coman said. “The stuff he was doing during his 10th-grade year, I didn’t start doing until I was a senior. I’ve been in the SEC, so I know what to look for when it comes to stuff like that. He has every possible intangible to play at that level.”
Who could commit to Alabama next?
Makari Vickers, cornerback, Tallahassee, Fla.
Makari Vickers' Instagram, begreat._m
Peter Woods, defensive lineman, Alabaster, Ala.
Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
Kelby Collins, defensive lineman, Gardendale, Ala.
Photo | Kelby Collins' Twitter account, @kelby_collins
