Former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson expressed that he is “absolutely” satisfied with his decision to enter the NFL draft, stating that staying in college to play for another school would “tarnish my legacy.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the last jersey I wanted to wear in college was the Alabama Crimson Tide jersey,” Simpson shared with AL.com on Wednesday. “I came there. I stayed there.”
Simpson declared for the draft on January 7. At that moment, he was ranked as the No. 3 draft-eligible quarterback by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., but has since climbed to No. 2 following Oregon’s Dante Moore’s decision to return to the Ducks.
Simpson’s father, UT Martin football coach Jason Simpson, mentioned to ESPN upon his son’s declaration that there were opportunities to transfer to other Power 4 schools. Sources had informed ESPN that Miami, Oregon, and Tennessee were keen on signing Simpson if he entered the transfer portal.
Nevertheless, Ty Simpson indicated he never truly contemplated playing for any institution other than Alabama.
“The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else where I didn’t go out of high school and I didn’t want to play,” he stated. “… Hopefully in the draft whenever my name gets written on a card, they write the University of Alabama on there. It’s going to give me great pride.”
Simpson is currently ranked as the No. 25 draft prospect on Kiper’s Big Board, and Jason Simpson confirmed that his son received a first-round evaluation from every NFL general manager they reached out to.
In 2025, Ty Simpson completed 64.5% of his passes, totaling 3,567 yards with 28 touchdowns and five interceptions, leading the No. 9 Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record and a quarterfinal spot in the College Football Playoff.
“It means a lot to me to be able to show my kids when they’re older that their dad played here and was a captain,” Simpson told AL.com, reflecting on his time at Alabama.
Information from ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Pete Thamel was utilized in this report.
