Ty Simpson was recruited heavily by the Tennessee Volunteers in 2021. At the time, Josh Heupel had just taken the reins at Tennessee, stepping in for Jeremy Pruitt. Heupel launched a last-minute attempt to woo Simpson, but he had run out of time. The QB made the choice to join the Alabama Crimson Tide. But he failed to realize that signing up for a big program like Nick Saban’s team would expose his cracks more glaringly.  

On November 5, BAMA247 on 247 Sports podcast took a trip to the past, to explore how things started with Simpson in Saban’s camp. While doing so, Alex Scarborough stated that the training camp of the new HC Kalen DeBoer took the Crimson Tide QB to a dark place.  The new head coach gave the players enough space to breathe. He did not adhere to leaning on defense or offense and asked the players to just play football. While Simpson finally started feeling comfortable in his own skin, Scarborough said that it took one game for the quarterback to go back to the under-confident version of himself. It was the game against the Seminoles.

“It works against Ty because he’s sort of wired to accept nothing less than perfection. He’s obsessive about everything, and when it’s not perfect, he can kind of go into a dark place. So, he had to come out of that Florida State game and just say, ‘Forget everything. Forget everybody. I don’t care what anybody thinks. I’m just going to play football,’” said the analyst.

The Seminoles pressured Simpson 14 times and got three sacks and two more quarterback hits to keep him off balance. The redshirt quarterback made only four throws against the Seminoles.

Scarborough also shared that once Simpson told him personally that the practices were designed for one to fail. “As Ty told me, it’s skewed for the defense, and if the offense wins, you’re going to have a miserable day because Saban is going to be unhappy. And he’s like, ‘Look, it just made me wonder and question myself, can I do this?’” he said.

Simpson grew up in Martin, Tennessee, and attended Westview High School. From there, he was placed amidst stalwarts like Will Anderson Jr. and Kool-Aid McKinstry

But even being a newcomer, Saban treated Simpson on par with the other players. The GOAT’s “process” has eventually become a blueprint in college football, emphasizing discipline, meticulous preparation, and an unrelenting drive for perfection. However, many, like Simpson, found it to be excessively severe, potentially fostering a high-pressure environment. Things turned a bit better for Simpson on Kalen DeBoer’s entry. While Simpson stopped himself from going down the rabbit hole of beating himself a way too hard, he carries with him a costly flaw.

Ty Simpson needs to whitewash his playing scheme

As the 2025 season is nearing its end, here come some glaring issues with Simpson. With ten weeks down, the Alabama quarterback stands with 14 sacks recorded. He recorded 3 sacks against Florida State, one against Wisconsin, and back-to-back four sacks against Vanderbilt and Missouri. In their latest feat against South Carolina, the Gamecocks handed Simpson two sacks. 

This was taken up on the podcast by Mike Rodak. Without mincing his words, the analyst said, “His sack numbers are high. I’m just looking at, the top 10 quarterbacks and passer rating right now. Like, he has 15 sacks…two quarterbacks with more than that in the top 10…I think you need to try to cut that down.”

It’s high time for Simpson to get rid of his flaws. After all, he has got the NFL spotlights on him. ESPN’s Football Power Index slots New York at No. 3 in next year’s draft after a brutal 1-7 stumble, trailing only Tennessee and New Orleans. But a few more missteps, and New York could own the top spot. 

If that happens, Ty Simpson-to-the-Jets chatter will heat up fast. As Cole Cubelic placed the Alabama quarterback at 2/1 in his list of “Odds to be the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft per BetOnline_ag.” Will the discipline forged under Nick Saban’s iron grip help Simpson to stay afloat in the NFL’s stormy waters?