Alabama football team has been informed that Ty Simpson will be starting quarterback for the season opener against FSU.
Simpson beat out Austin Mack and Keelon Russell for the starting job.
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb indicated Simpson was the frontrunner after the spring game.
Simpson has served as backup to Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe for three seasons.
Alabama football has its starting quarterback.
The Alabama football team was told Monday, Aug. 11, that Ty Simpson will be the team’s starting quarterback for the team’s season opener against Florida State on Aug. 30, multiple sources close to the situation told The Tuscaloosa News.
“It’s not how I drew it up for sure,” Simpson told The Tuscaloosa News in January about his Alabama football journey. “I think anybody could tell you that. But it’s God’s plan and I think, ultimately, it will make me a better player.”
Simpson beat out redshirt sophomore Austin Mack and freshman Keelon Russell to replace Jalen Milroe as Alabama’s quarterback.
After Alabama’s spring game, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said if the Crimson Tide were to start a game “tomorrow” that Simpson would be the one to take first-team reps. That narrative has continued throughout the summer and into the fall, with Simpson finishing the first two weeks of fall camp as the only quarterback not to work with the third-team offense.
“I feel like we’re getting closer,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said after the Crimson Tide’s first scrimmage.
“I would’ve said before camp that we definitely got to make a decision by the time we get done with the second scrimmage, and I would anticipate, for sure, that being the case. We’ll see kind of how the next few days go. But it’s two good showings, I think, especially by Austin and Ty again today, and I think Keelon making the progress we’d hope for. You can see what his ceiling is going to be, it’s just a matter of reps.”
Simpson spent three seasons backing up Bryce Young and Milroe. In three seasons, Simpson has 50 career pass attempts, 381 passing yards and 130 rushing yards. All three of his collegiate touchdowns have been through the run game.
“Whoever that person is got to come out and be able to show that it’s clearly him, and that’s what this football team needs,” Grubb said of the Crimson Tide’s path to a starting quarterback. “And all three of those guys know that.
And so I think being able to show up and do that every day and not waver in and out of the type of player he is, the type of decision-maker he is, the inconsistencies that a young quarterback would show or a quarterback that’s not ready to start. So as long as Ty can do that, or one of the other guys, that’s going to be the player that’s going to start a quarterback.”
Alabama basketball reporter Emilee Smarr contributed to this report.Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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