Patience is more than a virtue. In today's world, it's a lost art. Particularly in college sports.
In the era of free and unlimited transfers, players don't often take the Ty Simpson path.
Simpson sat on the bench for three years at Alabama before finally winning the starting job. He came to Tuscaloosa as a 5-star recruit and one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He never expected his path to be that of a backup for so long. He could've left multiple times. He certainly had the opportunity to do so.
But he stayed. And that patience finally paid off. He earned Alabama's starting quarterback job last season, and he made the most of it, leading the Crimson Tide to 11 wins and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Now, he's off to the NFL, and on Thursday, he should hear his name called during the first round.
He understands that the same patience he displayed in college will serve him well in the NFL,
Simpson spent time on Wednesday at the 2026 Toyota NFL Draft Flag Football Camp in Pittsburgh. Toyota is funding fall registration fees for current players in the Pittsburgh Flag Football League's coed youth and high school girls to expand access and accelerate league growth. Simpson was among several current and future NFL players who participated, and he spoke to the media afterwards:
"I think wherever I go, whether I play the first snap or I have to sit, I'm gonna be ready. That's my job to make sure that I'm ready.," Simpson said. "I think that going back to Alabama, the years that I sat were just as important as the years that I played. Learning from Bryce Young, Heisman Trophy winner, No. 1 overall pick, learning from Jalen (Milroe), one of the most electric players to ever play college football, guys like that who helped me get to where I'm at, I have nothing but respect for those guys who've help me achieve where I am today."
Ty Simpson is entering the NFL with the correct mentality
Simpson is widely expected to be picked somewhere in the late first round range of the NFL Draft on Thursday. The assumption is that a team will ultimately trade back into the late first round to snag Simpson, with the Cardinals, Jets, and Rams viewed as serious possibilities for the former Tide QB.
Each of those franchises has a veteran who would likely start in 2026. Whether that's Jacoby Brissett (Arizona), Geno Smith (New York), or Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles).
The Cardinals and Jets would represent the quickest path to the field. Neither franchise has much invested in either veteran, with both being seen as bridge quarterbacks while a franchise player is searched for.
If it's the Rams, which would be far and away the best possible landing spot for Simpson, he would likely have to sit for a couple of years. Stafford is coming off an MVP season, and the Rams will ride him until the wheels fall off.
But he'd be a perfect mentor for Simpson, who could sit back and learn with no pressure to play quickly.
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