Newly-minted New England Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson has known Mac Jones since the quarterback was at the bottom of the Alabama depth chart. Wilson was at Alabama when Jones worked below quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa — both starters in the NFL. Finally in 2020, Jones got his shot — and wowed with one of the most efficient passing seasons in college football history while helping Alabama win a national championship.
Even when Jones was buried on the Alabama depth chart, Wilson had faith in Jones. In their early years together, Mack 1 and Mac 2 — nicknames courtesy of Wilson — became good friends under coach Nick Saban, whose program has fueled the Patriots dynasties for a decade. Wilson, who joined the Patriots in a trade this offseason, was asked about his relationship with Jones.
“I remember Mac when he was a pup,” Wilson said Tuesday. “Just seeing how much he grew as a person and a player, it amazed me. I was telling everybody back home, friends and family, ‘Mac Jones is going to be special.’ A lot of guys didn’t believe me. Even some of the guys that were on our team didn’t believe me. I just saw something in him that just made me like: ‘Hey, this kid is going to be special.’
“I used to always tell him, ‘Just stay working, man. Stay patient. Your time will come.’ And that’s what he did and obviously the rest was history.”
Of course, Wilson made sure to note he’d intercepted the quarterback a few times at practice. And now that they’re teammates again, it’s easy to imagine Wilson may get his hands on another Jones pass in the coming practices — but maybe not as many as he used to. Jones has come a long way since then.
“You know a lot of guys come in as freshmen all uptight. Mac, he just had swagger,” Wilson said. “That’s something that caught my eye. He made some big plays. He made some great throws. Even when he scrambled he had a little juice in him. It was just different little small things that I’ve seen that made me like, hey, I like Mac. He’s going to be good. I believed in it and obviously it’s coming true.”
