I believe that by the end of last season defenses with good to very good athletes had developed an effective game plan against Hurts. For whatever reason, coaching issues, Hurts's own limitations, etc. we were not able to adjust in ways that allowed us to continue to be very effective on offense. Failures to make significant gains on first down, (partially leading to) very poor third down conversion percentages, and a scheme that kept Hurts from breaking into the open field, especially in the middle of the field where I thought he was most effective, caused significant issues. LSU showed how it was done. Mississippi State worked the plan very effectively. API managed the same level of exploitation (which combined with our hobbled defense spelled disaster). Clemson attempted the same, but strong play and scoring by our defense plus some limitations on their defense, really hindered their ability to execute that defensive game plan. Georgia, especially taking advantage of Smart's familiarity with our schemes/personnel, had us basically stymied after the first drive until the second series with Tua. And, to be honest, they weren't terrible against him -- though they may have thought the game was over before it was.
I would expect teams to defend Hurts the same way this year. Have we adjusted and developed in ways that would help us overcome that scheme? Frankly, we'd be far down the schedule before we really ran into a team with the defensive prowess to make games close. But once we did, there are several of them who could wreck our season. Because I am not confident we can overcome that defensive scheme, I expect Hurts not to be the starting quarterback, presuming Tua is able to play.
All that said. I love Jalen Hurts. Everything he has done and said has been a credit to our program. I do not believe he has a future as an NFL quarterback, but I would HATE to see him on the other side of the field with a team like Georgia Tech. I do believe he might blossom at H Back or as a kick returner. I also think he will someday be an outstanding football coach, if he chooses that as a career.