One of the biggest complaints of the new era of College Football isn't that the athletes can get paid but, that players are able to move constantly using the transfer portal, making a form of free agency. While players around the Country choose to use the transfer portal whenever they can, the rare cases where a player sticks it out make for an even more impressive journey.
On Monday Night, the Alabama Football program named Ty Simpson their starting quarterback for the 2025 College Football season. Given that Ty Simpson is a former 5-star recruit, the announcement shouldn't mean much yet, the journey that he took to gain the role is incredibly impressive in this modern era.
Coming out of High School, Ty Simpson was one of the most sought after players in the Country ranked by On3's Industry Recruiting Rankings as the 25th ranked player in the class, the 2nd ranked quarterback in the Country, and the 2nd ranked player out of Tennessee.
When Ty Simpson arrived in Tuscaloosa, it couldn't have been clearer that he wouldn't be the team's starting quarterback as Bryce Young was back for another season. Simpson spent his first season learning from a Heisman Trophy winner with a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job the following season.
Bryce Young went on to be the 1st overall pick, and Ty Simpson entered a battle against Jalen Milroe for the job. When Jalen Milroe emerged as the starter, Simpson easily could've checked out and entered the transfer portal, yet he stayed with the Crimson Tide. The decision would've been justified, especially when Jalen Milroe was benched against USF as Tyler Buchner got the start in that game.
If Simpson hadn't already been given plenty of excuses to leave, he was given another easy out when Nick Saban announced his retirement, bringing in a new era in Tuscaloosa. Ty Simpson again chose to stick it out spending another season behind Jalen Milroe as Kalen DeBoer took over the program.
What was Ty Simpson given for all of his loyalty to the program? This offseason, Kalen DeBoer and his staff declared this was an open competition, making Simpson fight for the job this time against Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, both of whom were recruited by Kalen DeBoer while Simpson was simply passed down.
In an era where players are blasted for running from competition or running to a better program, Ty Simpson should be applauded. Even when Simpson lost the starting job and would have to sit behind Jalen Milroe for two seasons, he never ran. When the Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator that recruited him to Tuscaloosa left, Simpson had the easiest out of all time yet, he stuck with his commitment.
As a recruit, Ty Simpson called his shot, and now he'll get the chance to lead the Crimson Tide to their first National Championship under Kalen DeBoer.
“Whether I start my freshman year or my fifth-year senior year, I do not really care… Be like how Mac was I guess you can say, learn from Tua and Jalen. It is just Bryce, Paul and Jalen for me.”
— Justin Smith (@Jdsmith31Smith) August 12, 2025
Ty Simpson spoke his future into existence.
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