Former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson reveals what happened in his final moments with Kalen DeBoer during Rose Bowl loss in CFP
Ty Simpson revealed what happened in his final game at Alabama, and why his relationship with Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide was so special.
It’s been a little over three months since the Alabama Crimson Tide’s season ended in Pasadena, California. The program has completely moved on, already wrapping spring ball and unveiling the quarterback of the future.
And so has the quarterback who led Alabama to that game, Ty Simspon. In a little over a week, Simpson will be drafted, and there’s a chance it’s pretty high. Part of that pre-draft process includes interviews like Jon Gruden’s QB camp, where in an hour-long video, outsiders learn about Simpson as both a person and a player. Well, even for those who follow Alabama football closely, Simpson shared a story that was never heard before.
Ty Simpson reveals how things ended in the Rose Bowl
“That moment for me, it was upsetting because I couldn’t play, but, you know, the doctor said, I can’t let you go,” Simpson said via Gruden’s QB Class on YouTube. “DeBoer came in there, I just started bawling and started crying, and he did too, and he said, ‘I love you, and thank you so much.’”
“He gave me a big hug, and he said, ‘I know you want to go, but I just can’t let you.’ That was cool for me, because it was just a quarterback-to-coach moment, and he didn’t have to do that. And he knew how much this team and this game meant to me.”
Now, if you remember back to the game, when Austin Mack entered, the game was out of reach for Alabama, down multiple scores in the second half after the eventual national champion Indiana Hoosiers went on a run.
Simpson also entered the game nowhere close to 100 percent, as he told Gruden during the interview. He had lost 15-20 pounds due to gastritis from medication that he was taking due to existing injuries, which were only compounded when he cracked his ribs against Indiana.
The bottom line is that Simpson remained loyal to Alabama through everything. He waited behind Jalen Milroe; he could have transferred to Miami after the 2025 season, and instead, he was back in Tuscaloosa for A-Day, where he placed his hands in the soft ground by Denny Chimes, cementing his legacy at the UA for as long as the Capstone stands.