“I’m ready. I’m a franchise quarterback. Alabama prepares you most for the NFL. With the infrastructure that they have and the guidance from Coach (Nick) Saban, Coach (Kalen) DeBoer, Coach (Ryan) Grubb, all the coordinators that I had before, I ran an NFL-type system. It definitely prepared me for saying those long play calls, saying those checks, and making sure that I get us in the right protection.
“And also, everybody talks about my starts, but I played in other games besides that. I’ve played against really good NFL players. I think about my freshman year, learning from the No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner (Bryce Young). Going on defense, going on scout team, I got Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner, Henry To’oTo’o, I got Kool-Aid (McKinstry) on one side, I got Terrion (Arnold) on the other side. There are a number of first- and second-round draft picks that I went against and who I was in the locker room with. The Alabama locker room is as close to a locker room in the NFL as you can get.”