Tennessee’s QB plan becomes clearer after one rumored candidate makes his decision
The Vols will not end up landing one of the top quarterbacks in college football from 2025.
The Tennessee Vols will not end up pulling a fast one on their primary rivals after all.
According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson will not return to college in 2026 and will instead enter the NFL Draft.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson heading to NFL Draft rather than considering transfer portal options
The move is a logical one for Simpson. He’d been awaiting feedback for his draft prospects, and if he was viewed as the third QB and a first-round player, he was expected to go.
Simpson had been linked to Tennessee over the past few days as a potential transfer portal target and successor to Joey Aguilar. On3 Sports college football insider Chris Low said recently that if Simpson transferred, it would most likely be to Tennessee, which recruited him extensively in high school.
“I do not believe Ty Simpson will be back at Alabama next year,” Low told Rocky Top Insider this week on their podcast. “I think he’s gone. I think it’s either he’s going to the pros and entering the draft, or I think he’s going to go into the portal.”
“If he does transfer, I think you’re going to see Ty Simpson as Tennessee’s quarterback next year,” Low added.
Tennessee’s veteran QB options are starting to take shape
With Simpson out of the picture, it’s starting to look like, if the Vols indeed are to land a veteran starting-caliber quarterback, it’ll be Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt or a return by Aguilar.
Leavitt is visiting Knoxville on Wednesday, which is expected to be a multi-day visit, per VolQuest, so the Vols are certainly putting the full-court press on him. Leavitt led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 title and the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff last season.
Aguilar continues to wait on the outcome of the litigation he’s involved in to obtain an additional year of eligibility. If Tennessee is confident in the likelihood of a positive, timely result, it could be satisfied to enter the offseason with him, George MacIntyre, and incoming freshman Faizon Brandon as its options.
We’ll see how things go this week with Leavitt, who ranks as the top quarterback and second overall player available in the transfer portal, according to On3 Sports.
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