Alabama sophomore quarterback Jalen Hurts is spending the weekend in Thibodaux, La., as a counselor at the 22nd-annual Manning Passing Academy. And while he’s received a few “Geaux Tigers” from LSU fans and jests from Clemson hat-wearing campers, the Crimson Tide’s starting signal caller is focused on continuing to improve his game.

The joking trash talk from Tiger fans brought a smile to Hurts’ face when asked about it Friday, but the sting from January’s loss in the national title game still lingers with him and his Alabama teammates and is a “motivating factor coming into my sophomore year.”

“We’re really hungry,” Hurts said, via NOLA.com. “I think about it every day, it crosses my mind. We’re on a grind, we’re working hard in the summer so we can hopefully make a run this year.”

Hurts took large steps this spring to improve his passing after struggling with delivering the ball down the field as a true freshman in 2016. During the Crimson Tide’s 15 spring practices, he and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll worked on “feet, shoulder pitch, shoulder level, just looking natural and calm in the pocket and making all the throws.”

And on the surface, that seems to have helped.

In the A-Day Game on April 22, Hurts looked like a completely different passer, throwing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 16-of-25 passing. Now with 14 games under his belt as the team’s starting quarterback, he hopes to continue to progress.

“I think we went into every spring practice, every summer practice with the mentality of improving every day,” Hurts said. “And I think I’ve made some strides. So, with the new OC and all, we’re looking forward to what’s in store for us this season.”

Hurts wasn’t the only quarterback to shine this spring. Early enrollee and former five-star Tua Tagovailoa also threw for more than 300 yards in the spring game and appeared polished beyond his years. Much like his head coach, Hurts was asked about a potential quarterback battle in Tuscaloosa, and he brushed off the idea of a controversy.

“At Alabama, nothing is guaranteed,” Hurts said. “We have really good competition that comes in every year and pushes us, and that’s what it’s for. All the quarterbacks at our school, we’re doing a great job of competing and making each other better. And that’s that.”

That, as it turns out, is the same mindset Hurts had prior to last season -- the one where he was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and led his team to the doorstep of a national title.

His focus this weekend and in the days after is on continuing to improve and prepare for a heavyweight bout with Florida State. And Hurts feels as if he hasn’t even scratched the surface.

“What happened last year, for me, I just went into it with the mentality of getting better,” Hurts said. “I wasn’t competing against nobody but myself, and I wanted to be the best that I could be. I feel like the sky’s the limit when it comes to my abilities. And I just tried to be the best I can be, and I ended up getting that opportunity to play as a freshman.”

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