Speculation surrounding Ty Simpson’s future may put pressure on the Alabama Crimson Tide to make a tough decision at quarterback
Here is the latest on Alabama’s quarterback position and Ty Simpson.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is firmly entrenched in retooling its roster ahead of a big year three for Kalen DeBoer. Following the team’s loss in the Rose Bowl, Alabama has seen plenty of players depart for the portal, and the Crimson Tide has already begun to ensure replacements are brought in.
The biggest domino yet to fall is at the quarterback position. Ty Simpson has three doors he can walk through. Door No. 1: staying at Alabama. Door No. 2: entering the transfer portal. Door No. 3: declaring for the NFL Draft. After a weekend of reports and organic intel, here is where things stand for Simpson.
Ty Simpson is weighing all options regarding his future
Sources first reported Simpson was leaving the Crimson Tide and entering the transfer portal to A to Z Sports after the South Carolina game. The idea was that if Simpson continued to regress and hurt his draft stock, Alabama might want to move on, and his best option would be to return to school.
Colin Gay of the Tuscaloosa News reported that Simpson sustained a lower back injury during the South Carolina game and continued to experience ailments for the rest of the season.
Then came the report from Tom Loy of 247 Sports, who said Simpson is considering transferring to the Tennessee Volunteers or the Oregon Ducks if he doesn’t receive first-round grades from NFL Draft evaluators.
A to Z Sports spoke with sources in the draft community who expressed concern over Simpson’s regression. It’s possible that a team would take a flyer on him in the first round of April’s draft. Still, the prevailing notion is that between his injuries and the last six weeks of the season, his stock has taken a hit, and that could affect his decision on whether or not he enters the draft.
That leads us to the present scenario, where Simpson’s agent confirmed that Simpson is weighing all options, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Why would Alabama move on from Ty Simpson?
So the question becomes, if Simpson doesn’t receive desirable draft grades, why would he entertain Oregon or Tennessee, or any school for that matter, given how the season went at Alabama? The answer is rather simple: Keelon Russell.
The former five-star and prize recruit of the DeBoer era is waiting in the wings, and Alabama may fear losing Russell to the portal if the program commits to Simpson again in 2026, who struggled amid injury down the stretch. For more on Simpson and how Alabama got to this situation, here is A to Z Sports Alabama contributor Josh Taylor.
“After losing the season opener, Simpson went on an impressive stretch through a brutal schedule and worked his way into the Heisman conversations and a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Things took a drastic change, however, and the injuries added up too much. Simpson hasn’t been healthy for the majority of the second half of the season, and it seemed like the South Carolina game was the last time we saw him at his best.”
“You have to give him credit for all the hits he took, but it changed his approach over the last seven games of the season mentally and physically. Simpson would seem rushed and leave a clean pocket at times when he didn’t have to, and that voice in the back of his head was telling him to be safe, while he wanted to play free ball like he always has. Simpson is still a baller, but the damage he took, the injuries on the team, and the non-existent run game put all the weight on Simpson, and it was too much to overcome in the end.” – Taylor
The coming days will be very telling for Simpson and the future of the QB position at Alabama. Keep it locked on A to Z Sports Alabama Crimson Tide for all of the news, transfer portal moves, and intel.
Alabama Crimson Tide News
Alabama Transfer Portal Tracker: Who has transferred in and out of the Crimson Tide’s 2026 roster?
Here is an up to date look at all of the additions and exits from the Alabama Crimson Tide.
