Alabama redshirt junior quarterback Ty Simpson realizes he could be one of college football’s few remaining dinosaurs.
In a sport overrun with players venturing into the NCAA transfer portal to seek better name, image and likeness opportunities, Simpson is the definition of a throwback. A five-star signee in the 2022 class, the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder from Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, has patiently waited the past three seasons — first behind Bryce Young and then Jalen Milroe — for an opportunity to guide the Crimson Tide.
“It’s abnormal for sure to not transfer in this day and age,” Simpson said last week in a news conference. “I don’t regret it at all. I love being here. I love my teammates, and I love this university.
“I’ve learned a lot from the guys who played before me like Bryce and Jalen, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
Despite Simpson being 22 years old and the veteran in Alabama’s quarterback room, there were no guarantees he would win the job over redshirt sophomore and Washington transfer Austin Mack and five-star freshman Keelon Russell. Simpson is the only one of those three who wasn’t recruited by second-year Tide coach Kalen DeBoer or first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
“Ty has shown the most leadership and command, so I don’t think anybody was caught off guard,” Grubb said. “I thought we did a good job as a staff of letting it play its course and to make sure the team saw Ty earn it. I think that was important for Ty, too.”
Simpson’s first favorite college team was the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, though he was too young to remember. The son of current UT Martin football coach Jason Simpson was born in December 2002, which was when his father became UTC’s offensive coordinator, a role he would maintain during the 2003-05 seasons before taking over the Skyhawks in 2006.
The talents Simpson would quickly display at Westview meant that playing for his father at UT Martin would be unlikely, so Nick Saban eventually had to do.
Simpson saw action against Utah State, Louisiana-Monroe, Vanderbilt and Austin Peay — games that Saban’s Tide won by the combined score of 207-10 — as an Alabama freshman in 2022. He has played in six contests each of the past two seasons, combining to go 25-of-45 passing for 346 yards while also rushing 22 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
During his time at Alabama, Simpson has worked under four coordinators — Bill O’Brien (2022), Tommy Rees (2023), Nick Sheridan (2024) and Grubb — while also learning under analysts such as Alex Mortensen and Derek Dooley.
“I don’t feel like that’s something bad at all,” Simpson said. “I’ve learned a lot of stuff from those guys, so I wouldn’t say that has hurt me by any means. I think it’s helped me a lot.”
Sheridan is still at Alabama as the quarterbacks coach, and he and Grubb worked with DeBoer at Washington. Grubb was the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks last season but studied the film of Simpson from last season and said that poise and decision-making are the biggest jumps he has made in recent months.
“From what I saw, his eyes would drop, and he would give up on stuff and start running really quickly because he is so athletic,” Grubb said. “Now, he’s very poised back there. When you have a guy who can balance the poise and the athleticism, that’s the thing you love to see.
“Ty has done a really nice job of taking care of the football. I think he has thrown one pick all camp. All our guys are understanding the concepts and are controlling the offense a lot better as a room, and Ty was the best at that.”
Simpson’s most meaningful action for Alabama to this point occurred during the third game of the 2023 season, when Milroe had been benched after a home loss to Texas and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner was given the start against South Florida in Tampa. Buchner struggled as the Bulls took a 3-0 lead, so Simpson was inserted and led the Tide to a 17-3 win.
His first career start will take place in the Sunshine State as well, as Alabama opens Aug. 30 against Florida State in Tallahassee (3:30 p.m. on ABC).
“This is a dream come true,” Simpson said. “I came here out of high school wanting to be the starting quarterback, and I can’t thank my teammates enough for making me look good. I’m so happy for this opportunity.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.
ALABAMA 2025 SCHEDULE
All times Eastern and p.m.; SEC games in bold
8/30 — at Florida State (3:30 on ABC)
9/6 — ULM (7:45 on SEC Network)
9/13 — Wisconsin (noon on ABC or ESPN)
9/27 — at Georgia (7:30 on ABC)
10/4 — Vanderbilt (TBD)
10/11 — at Missouri (noon on ABC or ESPN)
10/18 — Tennessee (TBD)
10/25 — at South Carolina (TBD)
11/8 — LSU (TBD)
11/15 — Oklahoma (TBD)
11/22 — Eastern Illinois (2 on SEC Network+)
11/29 — at Auburn (TBD)