Ty Simpson waited his turn, but now has to hold off a phenom to

Entering his fourth year in the program, Ty Simpson waited his turn to be the starting QB for Alabama football. Now, he just has to hold off freshman phenom Keelon Russell.

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Sep 14, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In this era of college football, it’s rare to see a player who is patient. A player who is willing to wait his turn in line, keep his head down, and just do the work needed to eventually get an opportunity on the field. Usually, guys who don’t play after a year, two at most, will enter the Transfer Portal and seek greener grass elsewhere.

So when a guy does stick it out for the long haul, he deserves to be celebrated. Such is the case for Alabama QB Ty Simpson, the presumptive favorite to be the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback in 2025.

Simpson was a highly regarded prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, rated as a five-star in the 247 composite rankings.

He committed to Alabama fully knowing that there was no path to playing time during his freshman season with the Crimson Tide returning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young at QB. Simpson competed for the job in 2023, but ultimately couldn’t beat out Jalen Milroe.

Who knows if Simpson was given a fair crack at winning the job in 2024 or not or if Milroe was always going to be the starter, no matter what. But Simpson served as Milroe’s primary backup the last two seasons, playing sparingly, usually when Alabama had games well in hand.

There seems to be some confidence in Simpson by the coaching staff as Kalen DeBoer and company did not pursue a QB in the Transfer Portal during the winter cycle, contrary to some reports with regards to former Georgia QB Carson Beck.

While Simpson will be at the front of the line to begin spring practice, he’ll have to hold off the phenom and prized recruit in Alabama’s 2025 class. 5-star Keelon Russell, who finished as the No. 1 prospect in the country per Rivals and a consensus 5-star across all services.

Russell has drawn favorable comparisons to former LSU Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jayden Daniels and has arrived in Tuscaloosa oozing with confidence and ready to compete for the starting job right away.

Russell is likely the most talented QB on the roster, but picking up a collegiate system quickly enough to play as a true freshman is incredibly difficult. He also needs time in Alabama’s strength and conditioning program to bulk up to be able to withstand the hits that come as a starting QB at this level.

It’s easy to draw a parallel between Simpson and former Alabama QB Mac Jones. Jones also waited his turn and sat on the bench for three years. Jones signed in the same recruiting class as 5-star Tua Tagovailoa and one year after freshman Jalen Hurts won SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

Jones then got his chance in 2020 and was the signal-caller for perhaps the greatest college football team of all time.

Like Simpson, Jones had to hold off a freshman phenom. Bryce Young had the same confidence as Russell and came in ready to compete for the starting job.

I would caution, though, that Jones entered the 2020 season as a more experienced player than Simpson and had flashed more during his time on the field than Simpson has in relief of Milroe.

During his redshirt sophomore season in 2019, Jones made four starts due to various injuries to Tagovailoa. He also came on in relief and played a lot of snaps in two other games due to injury. Simpson’s next start will be his first.

With Tagovailoa suffering a season-ending injury against Mississippi State that season, Jones got all the starter reps during bowl practice and put together a terrific performance against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, throwing for 327 yards and three touchdowns in Alabama’s win.

Milroe playing in the bowl game this year was understandable, but it also took away a lot of starter reps from Simpson, who could have used the bowl game to springboard himself toward a big 2025 season. Instead, Simpson will enter spring practice with limited first-team reps under his belt.

He has put plenty of work in, though, and he has the talent around him at receiver and running back to be successful, particularly if the offensive line comes together like it has the potential to.