Alabama quarterback Blake Barnett already is drawing lofty comparisons.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Corona, California, drew rave reviews from one former Crimson Tide signal-caller. Walter Lewis, who played for Alabama from 1980 to 1983, said on Tide 99.1 FM that Barnett reminds him of Joe Namath.

Yes, that Joe Namath.

Time will show if that’s the case, but if Barnett lives up to the hype, big things are ahead in Tuscaloosa. 247Sports ranked Barnett as a five-star talent in its composite rankings and as the No. 2 pro-style quarterback for the class of 2015.

Is the second coming of Broadway Joe on the way? Crimson Tide fans would love for that to be the case.