For Jalen Hurts, this week’s Senior Bowl is a homecoming of sorts. He was reunited with his former head coach Nick Saban and other Tide players in Mobile, Alabama, earlier this week.

The Senior Bowl even presented Hurts with a special helmet honoring his time at both Alabama and Oklahoma; however, Hurts won’t wear the helmet during the actual game.

Hurts’ impact on college football won’t soon be forgotten. He won big with the Tide and Sooners, and he did it with the utmost class garnering respect around the country. The way he handled the whole quarterback battle at Alabama left a lasting impression on folks. So, naturally, Hurts is a popular player this week in his return to Alabama.

Following practice Thursday, Hurts had a large cheering section waiting for him, and the video shared by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Tyler Dragon has been viewed on Twitter more than 1.3 million times. It’s great to see role models like Hurts being a positive influence in kids’ lives.

On the actual field, the Senior Bowl’s Executive Director Jim Nagy pointed out Friday morning that Hurts has been one of the South’s best players this week during practice.

It’ll be very interesting to see where Hurts winds up in the NFL. The NFL Draft starts April 23 and runs through April 25.