Former Alabama Quarterback Says QB1 Job is Ty Simpson’s to Lose

Kalen DeBoer, Nick Sheridan, and Ryan Grubb have an important task ahead of them this offseason, as the Crimson Tide seeks its next starting quarterback for 2025. This comes after Jalen Milroe’s departure to the 2025 NFL Draft. Milroe served as Alabama’s signal caller for the past two seasons, achieving a record of 21-6 as the team's starter. He led the Tide to the semifinals of the 2023 college football playoffs, where they were defeated by Michigan, which went on to win the national championship.

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Alabama’s candidates for starting quarterback are Redshirt Junior Ty Simpson, Redshirt Sophomore Austin Mack, and class of 2025 five-star signee Keelon Russell.

On Wednesday’s episode of The Dynasty, a podcast about the Crimson Tide, former Alabama quarterback (2010-2013) and two-time national championship winner (2011 and 2012) A.J. McCarron shared his thoughts on Simpson. He said he thinks the Tide’s starting quarterback role is Simpson’s job to lose.

McCarron said, “I think it’s his job to lose, not only from an experience standpoint.” McCarron added, “I think he has a ton of talent. I’ve worked with Ty, have trained with him in the past even when he was a young pup coming out of high school. I think he has a ton of arm talent. He can make every throw on the field. I think he’s very underrated using his feet as well, being able to escape the pocket when he needs to or throw into zone-read when you lull the defense to sleep and they’re thinking you’re handing it off to Jam Miller, and all of a sudden you pull it and bust around the edge. He has plenty of enough talent to go out there, win this job and keep it.”

Simpson was a part of the Crimson Tide’s 2022 class, where he was the No. 4-ranked quarterback, No.2 player out of Tennessee, and the No.29 overall prospect in the 2022 class according to 247 Sports. The redshirt junior has been with the Tide for the past three seasons where he hasn’t seen much playing time with Simpson only appearing in 12 games in his three seasons (zero starts) with most of those being at the end of a blowout game with the former five-star quarterback completing 29-50 of his passes while throwing for 381 yard with Simpson yet to score his first touchdown in his collegiate career.

Alabama’s offensive coordinator seems confident that Ty Simpson will be the starting quarterback. During an appearance on "The Game With Ryan Fowler" on Tide 100.9 last Thursday, Grubb reiterated a statement earlier in the spring. When Fowler asked if Simpson would be the starter if the season began today, Grubb responded, “He is,” adding, “We completed our post-spring evaluations with the players. Ty took care of the football better and operated more effectively. I thought he showed improvement for an older quarterback.”

Only time will tell, but it looks like Simpson will be the quarterback taking the field when the Tide heads to Tallahassee to face Florida State on August 30th. The Seminoles are coming off a dismal 2024 season, finishing with a record of 2-10 and 1-7 in the ACC. McCarron discussed this with the former Alabama quarterback, expressing that he believes this is a great opening game for Simpson, as it remains uncertain how strong Mike Norvell’s program will be. Doak S. Campbell Stadium promises to provide an electric atmosphere for Simpson as he experiences a challenging environment.

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