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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ty Simpson can lead Alabama football to glory without being Mac Jones
Officially, Alabama settled its quarterback competition on Monday, tapping Ty Simpson as its starter. Unofficially, this conclusion seemed inevitable for months. Simpson has thrown only 50 passes during a career that includes three seasons as a backup, but that's 47 more pass attempts than any other quarterback on Alabama's roster. When Alabama did not add a transfer quarterback in the winter free agency period, it signaled Simpson would make his first career start in the opener against Florida State. Optimists will say Simpson could become the next Mac Jones, a backup turned star who threw for 4,500 yards in 2020. Sure, it's possible, and maybe I'll be selected as the next James Bond. By the time Jones became Alabama's full-time starter, he'd already proven himself after filling in as starter for an injured Tua Tagovailoa the previous season and delivering four standout performances. Simpson has neither Jones' experience nor his inimitable supporting cast that included DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris and John Metchie III to warrant 2020 comparisons. PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletter Smarter comparisons would include Blake Sims and Jake Coker, who were longtime backups before starting for Alabama in their final seasons. Coker won a national championship as a steadyhanded guide for the 2015 Crimson Tide. He enjoyed the luxury of handing the ball to Derrick Henry 25-plus times per game. Unfortunately for Simpson, I don't see a future Heisman Trophy winner in his backfield, and Alabama's defense has not, for several years, played to the level it did in 2015. Still, if Simpson performs to the level Sims and Coker did as starters, that should allow Alabama to find a soft landing after experiencing turbulence, complete with a loss to Vanderbilt, in DeBoer's debut. Alabama quarterbacks have experienced a high floor of performance for the better part of two decades, so we must look elsewhere to produce a recent worst-case comparison for Simpson. Consider the case of Brock Vandagriff. Like Simpson, Vandagriff signed with an elite program as a five-star prospect. Vandagriff chose Georgia, and he failed to win competitions against JT Daniels and Stetson Bennett IV and later against Carson Beck. After three seasons as a seldom-used Georgia backup, Vandagriff finished his career last season starting for Kentucky, where he struggled. I view Simpson as neither Jones nor Vandagriff. He's something else. He's a bridge away from the Nick Saban era, a bridge that eventually will connect to Keelon Russell, a promising five-star freshman who became DeBoer's first quarterback signee at Alabama. Can Ty Simpson be for Alabama what Jake Coker was? There's optimism, there's pessimism, and there's realism. Simpson being a bridge seems most realistic. Bridge quarterbacks can become success stories. Again, I think of Coker, an effective bridge that took Alabama to the Jalen Hurts era. Optimists also would say Simpson fits DeBoer's system better than Jalen Milroe. Perhaps true, but DeBoer nonetheless chose Milroe as his starter last season, and Milroe's speed became a fallback plan for the offense when all else failed. Simpson moves well, but he doesn't sprint with Milroe's track-star pace. So, he'll need to be more efficient than Milroe. DeBoer, in the spring, said he desired a 'playmaker,' not 'a game-manager' to emerge from the quarterback competition, and, on that note, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb describes Simpson as 'an incredible playmaker.' In truth, Alabama needs a healthy blend of playmaking and efficiency. Milroe was a playmaker, and he performed at a Heisman level in Alabama's takedown of Georgia, but consistency eluded him in his lone season playing for DeBoer, and turnovers became an issue. He didn't receive enough support, either. Simpson should expect more help after the maturation of some young receivers and the arrival of Isaiah Horton, a transfer from Miami. Milroe could've used someone like Horton to help complement Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard. 'We really did a great job hitting on Isaiah Horton, who physically has a presence, but he's really smooth,' DeBoer told me in April. What is Ty Simpson's ceiling? That's left to answer If Simpson is an Alabama-caliber starting quarterback, then why didn't he start earlier in this career? That's the question I ask myself. Bryce Young initially blocked his path. No shame in that, but when Simpson later failed to beat out Milroe, I found it a bit unusual that he didn't transfer and start elsewhere. Simpson would tell you he stayed put because he belongs at Alabama. 'I had no doubt where I wanted to be,' even after Saban's retirement, Simpson told the Tuscaloosa News in January. I won't fault him for loyalty, and no one questions Arch Manning's ability just because he waited his turn behind Quinn Ewers. But, we saw more of Manning last season than we've seen of Simpson throughout his entire career. Simpson's ceiling remains a mystery, and how high you believe it extends depends on whether you identify as an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why OU softball super regional isn't Alabama star Audrey Vandagriff's first trip to Norman
NORMAN — While Alabama softball has never played in Norman, this weekend's NCAA super regional between the 15th-seeded Crimson Tide and second-seeded OU won't be Audrey Vandagriff's first time there. Nearly six years ago, Vandagriff twice visited Norman with her family as her older brother, Brock, was being recruited by the Sooners and Lincoln Riley. Advertisement 'I loved him,' Audrey Vandagriff said Thursday. 'He was amazing. He surprised me one day, I think it was Keilani Ricketts. … Some big name and I was just star-struck. I don't remember how old I was, maybe 10 years old, and he surprised me with her. … I've been here twice for his visits and they've treated me great. I was so happy as a little kid to be a part of my brother's journey.' Vandagriff and the Crimson Tide open the best-of-three Norman Super Regional at 4 p.m. Friday at Love's Field. Just a freshman, Vandagriff has been one of the biggest reasons for the Crimson Tide's success this season. REQUIRED READING: How OU softball freshman Sydney Barker carved out utility role for Sooners in postseason May 17, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama centerfielder Audrey Vandagriff and left fielder Lauren Johnson celebrate the last out at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama defeated Virginia Tech 4-3 to advance to the final. She has 50 stolen bases, fourth-most in program history and second nationally this season. Advertisement Vandagriff was recently named one of three finalists for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Division I National Freshman of the Year award. Brock Vandagriff, a five-star quarterback prospect according to the 247 Sports composite, eventually decommitted from OU on New Year's Day 2020 and ultimately signed with Georgia to stay close to home. After three seasons with the Bulldogs, Brock transferred to Kentucky where he threw for nearly 1,600 yards before retiring from football after the season. Audrey Vandagriff, who starred at Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, comes into the Super Regional on a six-game hitting streak. Vandagriff is 7 for 17 with three RBIs, a triple and a home run during the streak. Advertisement Here's a look at the Sooners' Super Regional opponent: CARLSON: How OU softball freshman Gabbie Garcia cracked open another level being 'totally unafraid' No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide Record: 40-21 (12-12 SEC) NCAA Tournament history: 125-56 overall, 26th appearance Leading hitter: Freshman outfielder Audrey Vandagriff is hitting .406 with 51 runs, eight doubles and 37 walks. Leading pitcher: Jocelyn Briski is 17-12 with a 2.78 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 161 innings this season. Briski had a win and a save over Virginia Tech in last weekend's regional. OU's all-time record vs. Crimson Tide: 9-12 Last meeting (prior to this season): 16-3 Sooners win, May 21, 2023 Advertisement Short hops: Alabama has been in the Super Regionals 19 of the last 20 seasons (excluding 2020 when there was no postseason) since the current format began. … Nine of the previous 21 meetings between the teams have come in the Women's College World Series. … The Crimson Tide has 113 stolen bases as a team, 14th-most nationally. … Alabama has turned an SEC-best 31 double plays. … Crimson Tide coach Patrick Murphy is one of seven Division I coaches with 1,300 or more wins at one program. Murphy has 1,317 victories since taking over the program in 1999. The only other active coach on that list is Sooners' coach Patty Gasso. REQUIRED READING: Why OU softball loss to Alabama in 2012 WCWS finals was 'pivotal moment' for Sooners Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@ or on Twitter at @RyAber . Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NCAA softball super regional isn't Audrey Vandagriff's first OU visit
