FOXBORO — If Mac Jones is still playing strong deep into the fourth quarter of Sunday’s season opener between the Patriots and Eagles, credit Jalen Hurts.

Jones was asked Thursday what he specifically learned from Hurts during their two seasons together at Alabama after calling him a “great player.” What first came to mind for Jones was somewhat surprising.

“I guess conditioning is the first thing,” Jones said. “Me and him were always running against each other. He is definitely faster than me, but I feel like I gave him a good run for his money. I learned a lot from him, just stuff like that, leading off the field, and like the fourth quarter program we had. He just always did such a good job running, leading, never showed a lot of emotion, just did his thing and I actually learned a lot from him there. Then, obviously on the field there is a bunch of stuff, too. So, I really appreciate him.”

Hurts had a winding journey from Alabama to NFC champion. He lost a national championship as a freshman at Alabama and was benched for Tua Tagovailoa at halftime of an Alabama national championship win the next season. He eventually transferred to Oklahoma before being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was named a second-team All-Pro and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2022.

“I think there is a lot of learning lessons,” Jones said. “I definitely took a lot of that, loved to see him bounce back and do a great job. In college he went through a lot, transferred and played well everywhere he’s been. It’s just who he is, it’s Jalen Hurts. He’s just a great player, great person and a good friend.”