Who Did Ty Simpson Call When He Found Out he was the Starter?

It was a surreal moment when Ty Simpson learned he was the newest starting quarterback for Alabama. After the announcement, Simpson said it's been a flurry of phone calls, texts, mentions on social media, and tears.

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"Greg McElroy texted me, which is really cool," Simpson said, "I really looked up to him a lot. A bunch of my family, a bunch of my friends, bunch of guys who transferred out have reached out.

"That means a lot because I'm a big relationship person. I'm a people person. So, guys who left, I really try to connect with them in a lot of different ways. I may not understand why they left, but I just wanted them to know that they can always count on me and understand that I'll always be there for them for anything they need. And I think I take that into my game too, that 'Hey, I'm going to do everything I can to help our team win.'"

Who was the first person Simpson called when he found out that he was the starting quarterback?

"My dad. And I think my mom and dad started crying or whatever. Um, so it was surreal. So, I called my dad later that night, and then I took a nap."

During the 2024 NFL draft, Simpson was in the green room with former Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker. Booker and Simpson were good friends during Booker's time in Tuscaloosa. It didn't take long for Booker to reach back out to his friend after the news.

"I texted Book, and he called me and he was like, 'I better be at the draft like you were with me,'" Simpson said.

You can watch Ty Simpson's full media availability here.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.