There are still plenty around the country who do not believe in Alabama QB Ty Simpson. That's despite the fact that he won the Crimson Tide's starting QB job with time to spare. Simpson was named the starter by head coach Kalen DeBoer the Monday after the first scrimmage, signaling a belief in the redshirt junior.
According to former FBS head coach turned studio analyst for CBS, Rick Neuheisel, DeBoer's decision to name Simpson the starter had nothing to do with merit. It instead had everything to do with loyalty.
Neuheisel shared that ridiculous opinion on the Mac and Cube show this week.
“I think there’s a number of quarterback situations across the country that they are going to coach around the quarterback a little bit until they know what they have,” Neuheisel said. “When you read what Kalen DeBoer said about Ty and he’s deserving this chance because of his loyalty to the program, that isn’t him winning the job. That is him having been there long enough, so he gets the first chance.”
Neuheisel is referencing DeBoer's quote, where he mentions Simpson's loyalty. But he is completely ignoring everything else DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb have said about Simpson.
“He’s just been really consistent, and that’s what you’re looking for," DeBoer said. He’s been really good as a leader, and just the command of the offense and the trust that everyone has in him, you can see it continue to build.”
“Ty did a really nice job of taking care of the football, No. 1,” Grubb said. “I think Ty is an incredible playmaker on the move, and I think from there, guys like that, you worry are they gonna be able to train themselves to be able to take care of the football. And even the room in general, Ty led that charge... I really felt like he had shown enough through camp to be kind of the dominant player in the room."
Rick Neuheisel's take on Ty Simpson is completely nonsensical
Neuheisel spent his entire head coaching career out west, bouncing between stops at Colorado, Washington, and UCLA, but you would think someone who has worked for CBS for 10 years now would have a better understanding of this conference and this program, considering CBS's former partnership with the SEC.
After a disappointing 9-4 season, DeBoer isn't doing a thing out of loyalty heading into his second season at Alabama. He can't afford to. The best players have to play. The players who give the Crimson Tide the best chance of not only getting into the College Football Playoff but also competing for a National Championship. DeBoer's future in Tuscaloosa depends on it.
Simpson won the starting QB job because he earned it out of merit, not devotion.
Perhaps loyalty is the way Neuheisel operated during his coaching career. And maybe that's why in his final collegiate coaching stint, he went 21-29 in four years at his alma mater UCLA and got fired.