Jalen Hurts is the talented starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles who led his team to the Super Bowl in 2023. He is also the proud brother of siblings Averion Jr. and Kynnedy. Jalen, Averion Jr. and Kynnedy were raised by parents Averion Sr. and Pamela Hurts in the suburbs of Houston. Averion Sr. is a longtime coach at Channelview High School, where he trained both his sons at the quarterback position. Meanwhile, his daughter, Kynnedy, played volleyball at the school.
According to Jalen, Averion Sr. impacted his life beyond the field, particularly in the kitchen and the art of preparing crawfish. “My dad trained me early, 5 years old, I had to help him in the process of cooking it,” he explained to The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2022. “I ended up learning how to do it myself. By the time I was in middle school, I was cooking it on my own for the family and different cookouts.”
When asked who was the better chef between his younger brother and father, though, Averion Jr. preferred to keep the peace. “Ima plead the fifth on that one,” he said. “I don’t want to start any in-home wars.” Here’s everything to know about Jalen Hurts’ siblings — brother Averion Jr. and sister Kynnedy — and their relationship with the NFL star.
They were born and raised in Texas
Jalen, Averion Jr. and Kynnedy were born and raised in southern Texas. The trio grew up in Channelview, a town located east of Houston, where their dad coached high school football for different teams throughout his career. Their mom also worked in the education system in the area. “It’s my music, swag, slang, it’s in the soul, too,” Jalen said of his connection to the city in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Special people come from Texas, and special people come from Houston.”
He continued, “It’s a different pride in being from the city of Houston. I definitely hold a lot of pride in being from that place, knowing the talent that comes from that area, whether it’s an artist, a player, a coach, whatever it is, it’s the best place in the world.”
They are athletes
Jalen and his siblings are not just the children of a coach — they’re also athletically gifted. Jalen played football under his father at Channelview High School before winning a national championship at the University of Alabama in 2017. Aversion Jr. also played quarterback for his dad. “For whatever reason, when Averion (Jr.) started playing, he wanted to be a quarterback,” Averion Hurts Sr. said in 2016, per The Sports News. “That’s just what he wanted to do.”
He added, “They both grew up as baseball kids, so they had arms that could throw. And so they just went on, and Jalen kind of followed in that mold.” The oldest of the Hurts siblings continued his athletic career at Houston-based Texas Southern University as the starting quarterback on the football team. Kynnedy took a different route from her older brothers, playing for the Lady Falcon Varsity Volleyball team at Channelview High School.
Their parents are educators
Before he started teaching on the field, Averion Sr. was molding minds in the classroom. He began his teaching career in the Pasadena Independent School District at Parkview Intermediate, where he taught in the Adaptive Behavior Unit.
Their mother, Pamela, also has a background in education. She worked for the Channelview District in Texas and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as a master’s degree in counseling. She was the head of the Special Services Department and a math special education teacher for grades 6-8 at Anthony Aguirre Junior High.
Jalen plans to finance his sister’s education
Jalen signed a four-year, $6.02 million rookie deal after being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In an interview with GQ in 2021, he broke down his money management habits. Besides donating to charity and building his savings account, Jalen earmarked funds for his sister’s college education, though he’s confident that she could earn a collegiate volleyball scholarship thanks to her hard work.
“I haven’t really talked about this one to anybody yet, not even my parents or my sister even,” the Eagles quarterback said. “Just in case she needs it in the future, she’s 16 now, and she’s going to go to college one day.” He added, “She’s going to do great things, and just in case she needs it, I have $70,000 set aside for her to go to college.”
Averion Jr. followed in their father’s footsteps
Averion Jr. went from being the coach’s son to now being a coach himself. In June 2023, he announced that he had accepted a position as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston’s Baytown Lee High School. Averion Jr. also took on the role of head track coach.
In an Instagram post, Jalen’s brother reflected on his path to coaching. “There is no better feeling than hearing a kid say, ‘Coach’..This profession is a truly gratifying one!” he wrote on Instagram. “My journey has shaped me into the being that you know and see today, and for this I am BEYOND thankful.”
He previously served as the quarterbacks coach at Summer Creek High in Humble ISD. While discussing his family with GQ, Jalen opened up about his “great relationship” with Averion Jr. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, just watch him play as a younger brother, taking me a long way,” he said.
They are supportive of each other
The Hurts siblings keep up with each other’s achievements no matter where they are. In a Philadelphia Inquirer profile, Averion Jr. recalled listening to a radio broadcast of his father and brother’s game against prolific North Shore High School. The moment his sibling threw a touchdown in the final seconds to beat their powerhouse rivals for the first time in the school’s history is etched in Averion Jr.’s memory. “I felt like I was there,” he said. “I’m getting the chills just thinking about it now. That was the moment that I knew this cat is for real.”
Jalen is just as effusive about their little sister Kynnedy. “She’s the smartest one of the three of us,” he said in a 2022 Sports Illustrated interview. “And I watch her put in an endless amount of work.” The professional football player recognizes the same work ethic he exhibited while training with his brother and dad in his sister. “She has the same hunger, the same passion for what she wants to do. She’s putting in the work,” Jalen continued. “Anything she decides to do, I got her back.”
Averion Jr. married his college sweetheart
Averion Jr. met his wife, Alexandrea Francis, while they were students at Texas Southern University. Like her husband’s family, Alexandrea was also an athlete: She competed as part of Mississippi Valley State University’s track and field team before going on to earn a master’s degree at TSU. The couple married on Jan. 2, 2021, and although Jalen could not attend his brother’s wedding, he gifted him $1,000 for the special occasion.
