Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke to the media on Monday and admitted that he had made a mistake with starting QB Ty Simpson ahead of his first start, a mistake he says he won't make again.
Simpson's first start left a lot to be desired. He wasn't bad, and he certainly wasn't the reason Alabama lost to Florida State. But he wasn't the solution the Crimson Tide needed, either. There's a reason Kalen DeBoer and Grubb decided to use an old, reliable motivational tactic with Simpson this week. They wanted to get his attention. They wanted to bring out the best in him.
Grubb also determined that he wasn't hard enough on Simpson in the lead-up to the game in Tallahassee. He called it a mistake, and one that he refuses to make a second time:
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb: "I thought maybe I wasn't hard enough on Ty [before Florida State]. I didn't harden him enough for the moment ... I didn't want to make that same mistake again."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) September 8, 2025
Simpson seemed unsure of himself for the majority of the afternoon against Florida State. After a beautifully scripted opening drive, the Crimson Tide's offense seemed stuck in the mud for the majority of the game that followed.
DeBoer and Grubb want Simpson to play with confidence. They want him to let it rip and not overthink every throw. Part of what he has to improve is throwing with more anticipation and not waiting to see the route break open before letting it fly. It's things like that which he can get away with against UL Monroe, but he won't against the rest of the schedule. Not against Wisconsin this week, and certainly not against Georgia two weeks from now.
Alabama's talent at QB behind Simpson will ensure he never gets too comfortable
DeBoer is a firm believer in competition pulling the best out of everyone. He's not afraid to rotate guys at positions that don't normally see much rotation, such as the offensive line and defensive backfield.
Last week against UL Monroe, he showed he wasn't afraid to rotate the quarterbacks, either. Austin Mack got into the game in the second quarter before Simpson's night was over. He promptly did the same thing Simpson had done all evening thus far: lead a touchdown drive.
Simpson got back into the game after a series from Mack and led another touchdown drive. He finished the game a perfect 17-of-17 with four total touchdowns. He solidified his standing as the team's QB1 moving forward, but both Mack and freshman phenom Keelon Russell will continue to get better and continue to push Simpson to ensure the redshirt junior never gets too comfortable and continues to improve himself.