“We then dig into the person. Will they fit into the team, are they a leader, what is their football IQ, and much more. We’ve talked to all your coaches, both football and baseball. Spoke with your vice principal and teachers to assess your study habits and social conduct. We also consider how you handle adversity. What happens when you get blindsided? Do you chew out your teammates? We’ve done our homework on you.
“Based on all that, we regard you as the best quarterback prospect to walk through these doors since I’ve been here. Even with all that talent, I expect you will get better. I don’t think you have any idea what your ceiling can be. We can make you the best quarterback in the country when it’s time for the NFL draft. With our process, we have a plan to make that happen.”
“I like what I’m hearing, but even you have to admit that you haven’t had much success at developing quarterbacks for the next level. I’ve been told that you’ll plug me into your system, and I’ll have to fit your mold. What makes me good is what I can do when plays break down,” I said, getting to the root of my concerns.
He nodded and stood up as he became even more passionate.
“Here’s what you’re missing. Part of our process is to put people into situations where they’re going to excel for a long time. I’m sure you’ve seen college quarterbacks do all sorts of crazy stuff and pull off spectacular plays. The problem with that is it doesn’t translate into long-term success in the NFL. A prime example is Robert Griffin III, who played ball at Baylor and won the Heisman. He was the second draft pick by the Washington Redskins the year he came out. In the same draft, they picked up Kirk Cousins from Michigan State.
“Because Griffin had to rely on a style of play that put him in harm’s way, his career with the Redskins was cut short by a series of injuries. Cousins, on the other hand, is your prototypical drop-back passer. I expect you would agree that the Redskins were smart in selecting Kirk Cousins, now that we’ve seen what happened. He needed time to develop, while the Redskins needed someone to start day one. At the time, people scratched their heads as to why they took two quarterbacks in that draft when they had so many other needs. Now they look like geniuses. They knew that RG3 was most likely going to get injured.
“I say this because I want you to understand that I take your health very seriously. Quarterback is the one position that can make or break your team. I’ll be frank. I’m not a fan of a quarterback having to scramble. When that happens, it tells me we did something wrong. On the other hand, we’ve never had someone like you.
“I had a long talk with Bud Mason. Coach Mason thinks a lot like I do, but he is convinced that what makes you special is your ability to think on your feet. He says you turn into Captain Chaos and can devastate defenses. This made me go back and review your game film with what Coach Mason had said in mind. What I saw was someone who could be a difference-maker in a big game. Instead of taking a sack or throwing the ball away, you could make something positive happen. I’d like to explore that with you,” Coach Wilson said, rocking me back into my seat.
We spent the next hour laying out his plan to use my talents to win games and to prepare me for the next level.
I came away from the meeting knowing that I’d just met a unique individual. There was no secret about how it would go. There was one thing Coach Wilson believed in: hard work. I could see why this wouldn’t be for everybody. It was abundantly clear that I couldn’t bring my ego to the party. I wouldn’t be getting any special treatment just because I was a five-star recruit.
Something else that was clear was that unlike the situation at Clemson, Coach Wilson wasn’t ever going to be my best friend. He was all business. My takeaway was that they had a process, but it wasn’t written in stone. He was smart enough to know that one size didn’t fit all. I also never once felt like Coach Wilson promised me anything or tried to oversell what I could expect. I felt like I could take him at his word. Honestly, that was a big deal. I had just one last question before I left.
“Coach, when you win the next one, do you plan to stick around?” I asked.
That was the question everyone at Alabama wondered.
“Ms. Ruby likes it here.”
Coach Wilson didn’t say he liked it here, or that it was his lifelong dream to coach Alabama football and he would never leave. He’d simply said his wife liked it here.
Then I got it. Coach Wilson’s loyalty wasn’t to the University of Alabama as such. What made him tick was hard work in the form of the process he’d talked about. He could take that anywhere.
