Ty Simpson reveals why Tennessee left him ‘crying in the locker room’ years before becoming Alabama’s star QB
The journey to becoming a star quarterback for a national championship contender is a long one that can take a decade of work and a lot of luck. The Alabama Crimson Tide struck gold with Ty Simpson, and the combination of Simpson and Ryan Grubb has given the program the chance to compete for a […]
The journey to becoming a star quarterback for a national championship contender is a long one that can take a decade of work and a lot of luck. The Alabama Crimson Tide struck gold with Ty Simpson, and the combination of Simpson and Ryan Grubb has given the program the chance to compete for a title. But Simpson’s first love wasn’t Alabama, and this week’s matchup with Tennessee reinforces a childhood memory.
The Tide are more than a touchdown favorite against the Volunteers for good reason. While Tennessee has a fast and opportunistic defense, Alabama should win out through its strength and discipline. In some ways, it’ll be a revenge game for Simpson.
The first-year starter told AL.com about how he was in attendance for a 50-0 beatdown between his brother’s team and the Volunteers in 2010.
Ty Simpson re-lives watching Tennessee Volunteers win as a kid
Simpson grew up a fan of the Volunteers thanks to Peyton Manning. “Of course I grew up watching them,” Simpson said. “Favorite guy was Peyton Manning.” And he was able to meet Manning when his brother, Jason Simpson, was the quarterback of Tennessee-Martin in 2010.
Simpson expanded that he “Walked over and asked him, ‘how does it feel to play against your brother in the NFL?’ He was like, ‘man, it’s really hard, but it’s fun.’ So that’s one of my favorite memories as a kid.” But Tennessee crushed his brother’s team, 50-0, and it left the younger Simpson distraught.
“I was crying in the little locker room right there,” Simpson said. “Because I didn’t really know like, at that time that FBS vs. FCS, you know, how it worked or whatever. So I was like ‘50-0, What the heck, what’s going on?’”
Now, Simpson can exact his revenge. Tennessee hasn’t won at Alabama since 2003, and Simpson has been on fire this season. He enters Saturday completing just under 71% of his passes for 1,678 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception.
