How has Ty Simpson navigated Alabama football quarterback battle? I asked his dad
When Jason Simpson watched his son walk off the bus and into Bryant-Denny Stadium for Alabama football's A-Day practice, Ty Simpson was walking with one of his competitors.
Ty Simpson, the redshirt junior quarterback, walked with Keelon Russell, the freshman quarterback and five-star phenom, into his first Crimson Tide spring game. And as both approached the stadium, Jason Simpson saw his son whisper something to Russell.
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'I asked (Ty) later, 'What did you tell him as y'all were walking in?'' Jason Simpson told the Tuscaloosa News. 'He said, 'I was just telling him, hey, this is a spring game. You got to see it on game day how awesome this place is.''
Ty Simpson knows what an offseason quarterback battle looks like. He's been there. He's done that. With that experience in tow, Simpson left as the leader in the clubhouse.
'At the end of the day, if we're playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start,' Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said Monday. 'And he earned that, okay? And I know that's the line everybody's looking for, but that is what he earned.'
As a dad, Jason Simpson is not surprised by Grubb's proclamation. Jason Simpson has confidence in Ty, the Alabama quarterback who has been there, who's been loyal, and who has put everything into being Alabama's next quarterback.
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But as Jason Simpson, the UT Martin football coach, he also knows Alabama is not his team. It's not his program. He has his own quarterback battle to deal with.
Jason Simpson, describing himself as Ty Simpson's number one fan and number one critic, knows what his son's summer looks like before Alabama's quarterback battle ramps back up in August.
'I think you have to be yourself,' Jason Simpson said. 'But now, when it becomes your turn, the torch gets passed on and there's responsibilities you have to be comfortable with.'
Ty Simpson 'understands' Alabama football quarterback battle
Jason Simpson remembers seeing a change in Ty's demeanor before spring football even started.
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During spring break, Jason and Ty were watching Alabama cut ups and plays with members of a UT Martin coaching staff eager to glean any advantage it could from the Crimson Tide.
'I'd say, 'Ty, how are y'all blocking this up? How are you reading this coverage?'' Jason Simpson said. 'Not only did he know, because sometimes the player can know, but can't teach it. I'm sitting there with seven or eight grown men from my offensive staff in there, and Ty felt comfortable getting up on the board to draw it up. He was able not only to know it himself, but speak it to where people who know football, who coach it on a daily basis, they looked at him like a young coach.'
Jason Simpson said Ty's mindset is consistent with how the Alabama football coaching staff teaches scheme, a staff, Jason said, is on the 'cutting edge,' especially after Grubb's hire.
It's a staff, Jason said, that is pulling in the same direction, one where he sees a 'great dynamic.'
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'You can tell they have all worked together before,' Jason Simpson said. 'Everybody's in their role, and there's just a different edge to it now. Because let me tell you, being the quarterback coach and the coordinator, that's a challenge now. Now Nick (Sheridan is) able to spend all that time with his quarterbacks and Grubb is able to see all the details and stuff and give the edge.'
Through the coaching staff's comfort with one another, Jason Simpson has seen Ty 'evolve and grow and get better mentally and physically.' And it has become more than just about the quarterback's on-field play.
'I think Ty, he did a good job not getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows,' Jason Simpson said. 'He's been through a quarterback battle before. He understands that it's about taking care of the football and limiting turnovers, ending possessions with a kick, whether it be a field goal or a PAT. Winning games is not about stats, even though you need to play at a high percentage. It's about moving the football team. It's about winning the locker room over and developing relationships with your teammates and being able to demand greatness from each other.'
To Jason, Ty Simpson's leadership has been clear.
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Ty, who has been a part of the football team's leadership council since before spring ball started, hosted teammates at his house after A-Day Saturday. As Jason left town, he saw offensive and defensive players alike coming in.
As Ty Simpson navigates a quarterback battle, Jason Simpson already sees a quarterback.
'Yeah, you got NIL and you got that money and all that kind of stuff right now,' Jason Simpson said. 'But it's still a team sport. When those four quarters hit and that stadium's loud, man, those relationships, they help you.'
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Inside look at Ty Simpson place in Alabama football quarterback battle
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