Ty Simpson always knew he’d have to wait his turn at Alabama, and his patience is finally paying off

Ty Simpson was the No. 3-ranked quarterback in the country when he committed to Alabama out of high school in 2022, a composite five-star along with Cade Klubnik and Drew Allar, multi-year starters who are entering their senior seasons as Heisman hopefuls. Simpson, on the other hand, is finally getting his first opportunity with the Crimson Tide, but he has as good a shot as any of them to lead his team to the national title. 

On Monday, Kalen DeBoer officially named Simpson as his starting quarterback for the 2025 season. The redshirt junior has attempted just 50 passes throughout his previous three years in Tuscaloosa. Even going back to his time at Westview High School in Tennessee, he knew he could have to wait his turn at Alabama, and his patience has finally paid off. 

After the news broke, Justin Smith of Touchdown Alabama dug up that old clip of Simpson during his days as a five-star recruit, which shows that he understood what it takes and what it means to be the starting quarterback of the Crimson Tide from the very beginning. 

Ty Simpson’s loyalty to Alabama is rewarded

The interesting part of that clip is that Simpson mentioned how he was getting “to go down there and learn from the best coach of all time.” Nick Saban retired after Simpson’s redshirt freshman season, the year he lost the starting job to Jalen Milroe. 

Yet, instead of fleeing for the Transfer Portal when DeBoer arrived and it became clear that Milroe was sticking around, Simpson remained loyal to the program and one of the best QB developers in the sport, if not one of the best coaches of all time. 

Now, that loyalty is being rewarded as Simpson is getting handed the keys to a readymade SEC contender. Had he transferred, without an impressive body of work at the collegiate level, Simpson likely would have found his way to a less prestigious program not as well-equipped to compete for conference and national titles. 

Now, his first opportunity as a starter comes with massive expectations and pressure to lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff after a disappointing nine-win campaign in Year 1 under DeBoer, but also with Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and Isaiah Horton to throw the ball to and Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Jaeden Roberts up front. 

Alabama’s offensive ecosystem is easily one of the best in the country, and that’s before mentioning that DeBoer’s longtime play-caller, Ryan Grubb, has returned from his one-year stint as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks to lead the Crimson Tide offense. Between Grubb, a stout offensive line, and elite pass-catchers, Simpson is set up to succeed this season. 

The only concern is that if Simpson holds onto the job past 2025, then Alabama will have to hope that 2025 five-star QB Keelon Russell is just as loyal and willing to sit and learn before finally taking the field.