When Ty Simpson won Alabama’s QB competition, he had a phone call to make. Before that, though, there was a text he needed to send. Simpson had to tell his dad he was officially the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. He beat out Austin Mack and Keelon Russell for the job in a competition that began […]
When Ty Simpson won Alabama’s QB competition, he had a phone call to make. Before that, though, there was a text he needed to send.
Simpson had to tell his dad he was officially the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. He beat out Austin Mack and Keelon Russell for the job in a competition that began in the spring. The sense was Simpson was the frontrunner, but it didn’t become official until Aug. 11.
Once he found out the news, Simpson texted his dad, Jason – the head coach at UT Martin – since he still had meetings left. When they were done, though, he made the call and shared a special moment with his parents and, later, his siblings.
“I called called my mom and dad later that night,” Simpson said on Hey Coach and The Kalen DeBoer Show. “It was really cool because … he is, like, my best friend. So he knows just how hard I’ve worked, everything I’ve gone through, him and my mom both.
“You don’t get a lot of ‘good jobs.’ You’ll get some every now and then. But hearing that firm, ‘Man, I’m really, really proud of you. You’ve worked hard for this. Not only am I proud of you because of the football player that you are, but the man that you’ve become and going through all this.’ That really kind of broke me down, got me a little emotional because I was like, ‘Man, that’s awesome.’ So it was cool. I got to talk to my little brother, my sister that night. It was a great phone call.”
Ty Simpson arrived at Alabama in 2022 as a true freshman and preserved a redshirt. He then sat behind Jalen Milroe in 2023 and remained a backup after Milroe chose to return to the Crimson Tide in 2024. While the transfer portal loomed as an option, Simpson chose to stay and wait his turn. That opportunity is now here as he takes over Kalen DeBoer’s system.
As for the timing of the announcement, DeBoer said the staff felt good after its first scrimmage, and Simpson proved it the next week. Now, he will lead Alabama into Saturday’s season opener against Florida State.
“We knew where we were at at that point where we felt good about who should be the starter,” DeBoer said. “It just made sense after the scrimmage when we evaluated kind of the whole product we put on the football field. All the quarterbacks, I thought, came out there today and did a great job. It was the same thing last scrimmage. Specifically Ty, today, came out and executed the offense and just continues to be steady. Finds his time to make the plays and today he actually used his feet again.”
Category: General Sports
