Alabama missed the College Football Playoff last season. Even in the four-team CFP era, that would be a big deal. However, considering it occurred in Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era with an expanded 12-team CFP, the pressure has ramped up for DeBoer and the entire program in Year 2, including likely starting quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson is the favorite to win the job in a three-way fall camp battle with Austin Mack and five-star true freshman Keelon Russell. The redshirt junior is a former five-star himself. With so much pressure, there is an expectation that he’ll perform like a veteran from Week 1, despite attempting just 50 career passes since arriving at Alabama in 2022.
Instead of throwing more coal in the furnace of the Ty Simpson hype train, former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who knows what it takes to win in Tuscaloosa, is pleading with fans to have patience.
With Ty Simpson leading the QB competition heading into fall camp, @10AJMcCarron is urging Alabama fans to be patient with him if he wins the job. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/TFSRQwRmn9
— THE DYNASTY (@TheDynastyBAMA) July 23, 2025
AJ McCarron sees parallels between his career and Ty Simpson’s
Simpson had to wait a bit longer than McCarron to see the field at Alabama, but the comparison between their careers may not be so outlandish. Both enter their first season as the starter with little experience and the weight of national championship expectations on their shoulders.
Back in 2011, McCarron delivered, but he did so in large part because his coaching staff and the skill players around him eased the burden. Now, this year’s Crimson Tide roster isn’t nearly as loaded as that team was, and running back Jam Miller is not Trent Richardson, but even with all the ways that football has changed in the intervening years, the same philosophy might apply.
McCarron only attempted over 30 passes one time before the 2012 National Championship Game against LSU, a 19/31 performance in a 27-11 victory at Penn State. It’s a term that has taken on a more negative connotation than it should, but McCarron was a game-manager, and that’s all Simpson needs to be for DeBoer, at least early in the season.
Additionally, the changes in the sport, specifically the introduction and subsequent expansion of the CFP, allow fan bases to be much more patient with their teams because they can withstand a loss or two and still be in the mix for an at-large bid. Yet, with Georgia on the schedule to open SEC play, and a five-star talent like Russell breathing down Simpson’s neck, patience may not be a luxury he can afford.