Exclusive interview with Mercer OL Jason Poe: Small school journey, playing FB, and more

Playing Alabama and scoring more than Miami

JF: "So at Mercer, you actually had the opportunity to play against Alabama, and I believe that was like your second game there. What was that experience like for you? Making the trip to Tuscaloosa, playing in front of damn-near 100,000 people. That must've been surreal."

JP: "It was surreal, man. It was crazy and exciting at the same time, because like you said, we played a team from my conference in the first game and then jumped to the best team in college football at that time. You've got NFL draft picks all over the [field]. It was amazing seeing the fans screaming and yelling. We scored twice — more than Miami. All of those memories were great."

Experience at the College Gridiron Showcase

JF: "Right, so you go from JUCO to D-II to playing Alabama just like that. That must've been a wild transition process for you. So you had the opportunity to compete at this year's College Gridiron Showcase. Tell me a little bit more about that experience because honestly, I'm pretty unfamiliar with that whole process and I imagine many others are as well."

JP: "Man it was great. Shoutout to Mike Rittelmann because it's one of the best all-star games, for real. The way they had it set up, the practice, the 1-on-1s, it was really a lot of work. There was no time limit, we would just go and go. Whoever wanted to get the work would get it. So I went in there a lot of times. If I could have gone in there for every rep, I would've. It was great, man. Shoutout to CGS."

What position will Jason Poe play in the NFL?

JF: "Now of course you have experience playing both guard and fullback, and I believe you've even played some center. Have you gotten any indication about where teams see you at the NFL level? And also, where do you feel most comfortable?"

JP: "I'm comfortable wherever I need to train at. Some teams want me at center or guard, some teams want me at fullback. Some teams want me at both. A lot of teams think that I'm unique which is great. The more you can do, the more they want you to do. That's how I always think about it."