Butch Jones spent the past 3 seasons as an assistant on Alabama’s coaching staff, so he got to see the evolution and development of Mac Jones up close. The quarterback waited for his chance, thrived once he got it and is now continuing to excel.

On Tuesday, the former Crimson Tide QB became the starter for the New England Patriots heading into his rookie season. And it didn’t take long for the news to break before Jones, now the head coach at Arkansas State, reached out to his former player.

“Incredible. I just texted him this morning. Just really, really, really proud of that young man,” Jones told the media during his Tuesday press conference. “And I think it’s a great illustration to everyone in the country. Here’s a young man who I believe didn’t play for 3 years. And he could have easily transferred, he could have easily left and had a sour disposition. And he is the most unselfish individual I have ever seen and as hard of a worker and diligent as I’ve ever been around.

“And he just stayed positive, stayed positive, stayed positive. But also, it’s one thing to wait your turn. But when your turn comes, what do you do with that opportunity? And that young man, boy, I tell you he made the most of his opportunity. He took full advantage of it.”

But as Jones was quick to point out, that opportunity came after plenty of hard work by the quarterback to put himself in a position to take over Alabama’s offense when that time arrived midway through the 2019 season and then heading into 2020.

“That didn’t come by chance and just by luck,” Jones said. “He earned that right by his work ethic every single day behind the scenes, and I think if you asked him, he’d tell you he’s stronger for going through those 3 years. Now, you look at him. First-round draft choice, what he’s doing in New England. So he’s 1 of my favorite players I’ve ever been around and he deserves everything he gets, because he’s kind of a self-made man.

“Even going into the year that he started, we had signed Bryce Young, who was the No. 1 player in the country. Did he let that get him down? Did that change his disposition? Absolutely not. Was he a great teammate in supporting Bryce? Absolutely. So again, those are all great illustrations — there are more success stories of individuals who stay with it and have the resolve and resiliency to continue to work than individuals who leave programs looking for the next easy course of action, the path of least resistance. And Mac Jones is a great illustration of that. So to answer your question, I love him.”