When Alex Hurlburt was little, his parents, Julie and Ed, would always tell him that he could do whatever he wanted, surpass any obstacle that was in front of him.
Alex was born with a vestigial left arm because of a blood vessel that didn’t develop properly in the womb. The disability led to difficulties in his childhood. But whether it was tying his shoes, carrying heavy things, or playing sports, Julie and Ed never let him get discouraged.
They got him into sports as soon as they could, and young Alex became a fixture on all the playing fields and courts around Salem, Oregon — baseball, basketball, football.
It was the last of those that led to Alex breaking down one of the biggest barriers that his disability had ever put in front of him.
On September 27, the outside linebacker committed to Montana to play football, becoming a member of the Grizzlies’ 2019 recruiting class.
“No one ever saw me as someone who was going to play college football, I never saw myself as that,” Hurlburt said. “[My parents always told me], no matter what, to at least try it. That was probably one of the biggest things that I carried with me through my childhood, was that I can do [things], I just need to try. That’s still stuck with me to this day.”
In the days after his commitment, Hurlburt received national attention.
The West Salem High senior’s tweet to Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin, whose left hand was amputated when he was a child, has been liked more than 10,000 times on Twitter. Hurlburt was profiled on ABC’s World News Tonight.
Hurlburt is more than just a good story, however.
According to 247 Sports, he’s a three-star recruit and is the 19th-ranked recruit in the state of Oregon this year.
HERO Sports has him ranked as the Grizzlies’ top recruit in the class, and fifth so far among all Big Sky Conference recruits.
“I think I’m a really physical player. I play fast,” The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end said. “If you watch my film, that’s what a lot of my plays are, just big hustle plays. I wouldn’t say I have tremendous skill, but throughout the years, I’ve learned what works for me.”
His disability also forced Hurlburt to learn how to block out distractions.
“Some people really want me to succeed, some really don’t, and some use gestures or jokes to try to get me off of my game,” Hurlburt said. “Especially my junior year, it was a big thing for people to try to do that, or for certain players to try to do that. I took that to my advantage in my senior year, to specifically work on my mental aspect of the game and be myself and let myself play without that bothering me.”
Before his junior year, Hurlburt got a prosthesis that allowed him to lift weights. He was quickly attracted to the discipline, and his body — and his game — saw rapid improvements.
He went from 180 pounds his sophomore year to 200 as a junior, and is currently playing his senior year at 220.
The rapid gain, plus his speed and instincts, brought him onto the radars of coaches and recruiting services.
At the time he committed, Hurlburt also had a scholarship offer from Portland State, as well as preferred walk-on offers from his home-state FBS schools Oregon and Oregon State.
“College football’s a business. They don’t give scholarships away on stories or inspirational stories,” Hurlburt’s high school coach Shawn Stanley told KATU News in Salem. “They give scholarships to people that can help them win football games.”
Despite the in-state attention, Montana’s coaches, and the atmosphere around the school, convinced Hurlburt to travel a little bit further to play his college football.
He said that the natural beauty around Missoula reminded him of Salem, and he’s looking forward to the fishing opportunities.
Foremost on his mind, though, is the opportunity to play football in college. Getting a scholarship is one thing; being successful in the college game is another level altogether.
But Hurlburt has been leaving obstacles in his rearview mirror for his whole life now, since his parents told him as a little kid that he could do anything — he just had to try.
What’s one more?
“I’m excited just to get up there. I wish I could be there right now,” Hurlburt said. “I’m looking forward to getting to finally have a structured plan about what I’m going to do, and as a team, what we’re going to do. And getting to play with a bunch of guys who really want to be there and really, really want to compete.”
