AJ McCarron has been in Ty Simpson's position before, taking over as the starting QB for an Alabama team that is a ready-made National Championship contender. The parallels are even more striking when you consider they both became the starting QB a year after a disappointing 9-3 regular season.
McCarron got the luxury of a warm-up game against Kent State at home for his first start, but the very next week, he was under center in Happy Valley against Penn State. Simpson won't get the tune-up - his first start will be in a hostile Doak Campbell Stadium this Saturday at Florida State.
McCarron understands the situation that Simpson is walking into. And while the former Tide QB has been overshadowed by some of the elite quarterbacks who followed him, he's one of the best winners in Alabama history.
McCarron led Alabama to back-to-back National Championships in 2011 and 2012 as the Tide's starter, walking away from Tuscaloosa with three National Championship rings on his finger. McCarron was a freshman on the 2009 team that won it all.
So McCarron's advice for Simpson is something the Tide's new signal-caller is almost certainly paying attention to.
“My mindset for him would be the same mindset I had going into my first year of starting. You have an experienced defense… Let them control a lot of the game. Your biggest thing… take care of the football.”
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) August 23, 2025
AJ McCarron’s advice to Ty Simpson. 💪https://t.co/6TJoORu5Ku pic.twitter.com/cv0kY4pHaI
Can Alabama win big with a "game manager" QB in 2025?
The term "game manager" for a QB has always been used derisively by fans. McCarron was considered that during his Crimson Tide career, and yet Alabama won and won big during his time in Tuscaloosa.
In this era of college football, some wonder if a "game manager" can be enough to get it done anymore. Michigan is just a year removed from a National Championship with JJ McCarthy at QB, and despite the fact that he was a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft, he was a game manager for the Wolverines.
Stetson Bennett won back-to-back titles at Georgia as a game manager. What that Michigan team and those Georgia teams had in common, however, is that they both featured elite defenses. Alabama has the potential to be at that level defensively this season, but it remains to be seen whether it can reach those heights.
Avoiding turnovers will be key for Simpson, whether he's a game manager or game elevator. Jalen Milroe turned the ball over 18 times last season. There is nothing more important for a QB than taking care of the football. That will be key for Simpson this season, and was a big part of why he ultimately won the starting job in fall camp.
The coaching staff expects more than a game manager out there at QB, though, which could fly in direct contrast to McCarron's comments. Back in the spring, Kalen DeBoer talked about just that:
"We want that playmaker. I don't want just a game manager out there," said DeBoer. "If we're gonna win at the level we want to win at, we want a guy that's gonna produce."
At least early in the season, perhaps specifically against Florida State this weekend, being a game manager and not trying to play hero ball might make the most sense as Simpson gets comfortable with his status as the team's starter. But as the season goes on, if Alabama wants to win at the level of their goals, they'll need more.