This wasn't how Ty Simpson envisioned the end of his collegiate career. He hoped it would end with the confetti falling in Miami after the National Championship, but college football rarely provides the fairytale endings that you want.
Simpson still has a season of eligibility left, but most believe the redshirt junior quarterback will choose to enter the 2026 NFL Draft as a projected first-round pick. That means the Rose Bowl could very well be the final time Simpson put on the Alabama uniform.
And he let his emotions show when Kalen DeBoer made the difficult decision to remove him from the game in the third quarter with Alabama trailing 24-0 and Simpson clearly favoring his back after taking a big hit late in the first half:
Starting Alabama QB Ty Simpson has been benched due to injury.
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2026
Austin Mack is in at QB. pic.twitter.com/GzXdqnfarm
Ty Simpson was emotional in perhaps his final game at Alabama
It was a frustrating game for Simpson and the Alabama offense before he got pulled. Simpson had thrown for just 67 yards on 12-of-16 passing. He clearly wanted to continue playing and finish what he started, even if defeat and the potential for further injury seemed likely.
But sometimes coaches have to save players from themselves. And that's exactly what DeBoer did by subbing in Austin Mack after the first series of the third quarter. Simpson was clearly wincing with every throw after the big hit late in the first half, and his future in football is bright. There was no reason for him to take any more hits in a game that was already all but over.
As frustrating as the season was at times, Alabama still took strides in DeBoer's second season, and with Simpson finally getting his shot at QB. The Crimson Tide won 11 games, and Simpson led them to a win in the College Football Playoff and a shot at No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl.
Things got out of hand in Pasadena, but Simpson deserves a lot of credit for carrying a flawed offense on his back the entire season. With poor play on the offensive line and zero running game to fall back on, Alabama making it as far as it did is a testament to how well Simpson played throughout the season.
He deserved to go out on his own terms. It's unfortunate that an injury prevented it.