You know how it goes in Tuscaloosa—there’s always a quarterback battle, whispers swirling behind locker room doors, and one name usually getting slept on. But not this time, not anymore. Alabama RB Daniel Hill let the whole thing slip in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, and now we know exactly where the Tide players stand in this heavyweight QB1 battle between a flashy five-star freshman and a long-waiting vet. The answer? Let’s just say… one name came up loud and proud.

Ty Simpson. After 3 seasons of waiting behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe, the former five-star from Tennessee is finally staring at a clear runway. In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports host Andrew Whitelaw on May 24, Alabama running back Daniel Hill didn’t dance around it when asked who the most underrated player in college football is. He could’ve said anybody. But he didn’t hesitate—“Most underrated player? Ty Simpson.”

Now that’s not just a teammate gassing up a buddy. That’s the type of endorsement that echoes. Daniel didn’t stop there, either. “Everybody will see this season,” Hill continued. “He’s put in a lot of work, you know, for the years that he’s been at Alabama, and it will show this year for sure.” Simpson’s road has been anything but smooth.

Since arriving in 2022 as the No. 2 QB in the nation, he’s mostly been a clipboard commander. But folks who watched closely remember the 2023 USF game. With the Tide offense sputtering, Simpson stepped in and sparked 17 unanswered points. Or how about that 78-yard run against Chattanooga? You can’t fake those legs.

Then came the 2024 season, where Simpson saw backup reps in six games. Nothing earth-shattering—167 yards on 14-of-25 passing with a rushing TD—but solid. And what’s more important? The trust. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made it real clear last month: “If we’re playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start.” That’s coming from one of the best play-callers in the country.

Grubb added, “He earned that… Just with some of the nuances and taking care of the football… Ty showed out a little bit better.” Even head coach Kalen DeBoer co-signed the sentiment: “Ty has been around and just has done a nice job. I think the trending upward is a big piece of it.” And that’s where things get juicy.

Because while the world drools over true freshman Keelon Russell—a five-star, No. 2 overall in the 2025 class, and highlight machine—Alabama players are clearly rocking with Simpson. Russell’s ceiling is insane, no doubt. But Alabama just went 9-4. They don’t have time to play experimental ball. That leash? Shorter. And the locker room vibes? They’re already leaning veteran.

Daniel Hill’s big expectation for 2025

It’s been four long years since Alabama popped champagne in a title locker room. That 2020 beatdown of Ohio State—Mac Jones throwing lasers, DeVonta Smith winning a Heisman in a half, Najee Harris flying over defenders—feels like a whole lifetime ago. Since then? A loss to Georgia in the 2021 natty, no CFP in 2022, and a gut-punch OT semifinal exit to Michigan in 2023. And in Kalen DeBoer’s Year One? Missed the Playoffs completely. That’s not just a drought. That’s borderline sacrilege in Tuscaloosa.

But Daniel Hill? He’s trying to change all that. In that exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Hill didn’t sugarcoat the stakes. “The number one goal is obviously to win the natty. And I’m gonna do whatever I can to, you know, help this team get to that level.” The 6’1”, 242-pound sophomore out of Meridian, Mississippi, was a four-star bruiser coming out of high school with legacy ties to Mississippi State. Offers from Tennessee, South Carolina, and others stacked up, but when Bama called? That was the move.

Quiet freshman year—9 games, 21 carries for 61 yards and a TD—but don’t let the stat sheet fool you. He was nursing some injuries and still turned heads all spring. “Daniel Hill was one of the guys that maybe stood out as much as anybody this spring,” Ryan Grubb said. DeBoer echoed that: “He’s going to be a really good one for us.”

Daniel Hill is the most jacked RB in that locker room. The sophomore RB got the build of a power back but the agility of a wideout. Combine that with Simpson’s steady command of the huddle and Russell’s explosive talent waiting in the wings? Bama might be cooking up a storm. When the EssentiallySports host Andrew Whitelaw asked Hill how he handles all the attention and pressure, the sophomore didn’t blink: “Yeah, I feel like I’m kind of in between. I like being the underdog, but I also like having pressure on me. It motivates me to succeed and to do everything people believe I can do.” That’s the mentality Alabama needs right now.

People who feel that burn to bring Alabama back to the top don’t just talk about it. Daniel Hill sounds like one of those guys. Ty Simpson? Maybe too. What we’re seeing isn’t just a QB battle—it’s a culture shift. No more Bryce Young saving the day, no more Jalen Milroe juking through chaos. This time, it’s all about who earns it. And from what we’ve seen in that locker room, Ty Simpson is already wearing that trust like a badge.

So circle the date. August 30. Florida State in Tallahassee. The moment of truth. And unless something wild happens between now and then, the Tide just might be rolling behind the most “underrated” player in college football.