There was a time when former Nebraska football center Cam Jurgens looked like he might lose his starting job. At the height of what can only be described as the yips when it came to snapping the ball, there were plenty of Husker fans who were calling for almost anyone else to take his job.
To Scott Frost’s credit (perhaps one of the only things he did right) they stuck with Jurgens because they knew he simply had too much talent to not be on the field. And now that he’s in the NFL, he’s shown that talent again, taking over the starting center job for the Philadelphia Eagles following future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce’s retirement at the end of last season.
The former Nebraska football star has gotten a lot of accolades from his Eagles coaches, as the regular season winds down.
Former Nebraska football star drawing rave reviews in the NFL
“I think he's done a really nice job,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “It's never easy to replace a legend, which we all know how special of a player and leader Jason Kelce was. So, he's had to step in and fill those shoes, and I think he's done a really nice job.”
Jurgens also got some rave reviews from his teammates.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata had to make his own shoes starting in 2020 when Jason Peters moved on. His answer to the question regarding Jurgens?
“I think he’s proved a lot of people wrong, maybe that was his mission, but I’d like to think Cam was just thinking, 'I’m going out there to play ball and do my job,'” said Mailata. “I love Cam. He’s got a hunger; he’s got a fire. Kind of reminds of that same fire of (number) 62 (Kelce), to be honest.”
That’s high praise indeed for the former Nebraska football player who looks like he’s settling in.