FOXBORO — According to his former college offensive coordinator, Bailey Zappe always knew he would ascend up the quarterback depth chart to become the Patriots’ starting quarterback.

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That note was passed along by Amazon Prime’s Kaylee Hartung on Thursday night’s Patriots-Steelers broadcast.

“Zappe said it was a wake-up call when he got cut by the Patriots in camp,” Hartung said on air. “And yet even as he signed with their practice squad, the very next day he told (college offensive coordinator Zach) Kittley, ‘Trust me. I’ve got this. Eventually, I’ll be the starter.’”

Zappe was asked Wednesday morning about those remarks, which he said came from a “personal conversation.”

“During that time, that was hard,” Zappe said. “At that moment, getting cut, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 24 hours. It was mainly him just giving me confidence. Just talking to him back and forth in a private conversation. Just him telling me to get ready to go and that anything can happen. I just try to take it day-by-day. At that point on, just trying to get better every day as cliche as that is. Just trying to get better.”

Zappe has a connection with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whom the Patriots will face this week, through Kittley.

Kittley worked with Mahomes at Texas Tech as a student assistant and graduate assistant from 2013 to 2017. Kittley then went on to become Houston Baptist’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach while Zappe was at the school. Zappe followed Kittley to Western Kentucky in 2021.

Zappe said he hasn’t been able to talk to Mahomes but that they follow each other on social media.

The two quarterbacks will have a chance to connect before and after Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.