ESPN college football insider shares the latest on Alabama QB Ty Simpson’s plans for 2026; Tennessee Vols still need a transfer QB
The Tennessee Vols are still in need of a transfer quarterback, and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson looms as a possibility. Tennessee is in the market for a transfer quarterback to pair with rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and rising true freshman Faizon Brandon (it’s possible that Joey Aguilar, who started all 13 games […]
The Tennessee Vols are still in need of a transfer quarterback, and Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson looms as a possibility.
Tennessee is in the market for a transfer quarterback to pair with rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and rising true freshman Faizon Brandon (it’s possible that Joey Aguilar, who started all 13 games for the Vols in 2025, could gain an extra season of eligibility, but that feels unlikely at this point).
There have been some rumblings in recent days that Simpson could be a possibility for the Vols if he enters the NCAA transfer portal.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared the latest update on Simpson on Monday morning.
Thamel noted that “the NFL looms as the most likely option” for Simpson, while pointing out that nothing has been decided yet.
If Simpson leaves Alabama (either for the NFL or the transfer portal), Austin Mack and Keelon Russell would be the top options to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide next season.
Ty Simpson has history with the Tennessee Vols
Simpson, who has one season of eligibility remaining, was recruited heavily by Josh Heupel and the Vols in early 2021.
Heupel, however, had yet to coach a game for the Vols when Simpson was ready to make his decision. As a result, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide won the battle for the five-star quarterback.
Simpson, a west Tennessee native, grew up watching the Vols on Saturdays.
“Of course, I grew up watching them (Tennessee),” said Simpson before playing the Vols in 2025. ”My favorite guy was Peyton Manning. I remember my dad playing them — shoot, I guess it would have been Derek Dooley’s first ever game there — they whooped my dad’s tail 50-0. I actually had two memories. One was I was crying in a little locker room right there, because I didn’t really know at the time with FBS versus FCS, how it worked. So I was like, ’50 to nothing? What the heck? What’s going on?’
“But the second part was Peyton Manning was on the other sideline. In pre-game, I walked over there and I asked him, ‘How does it feel to play against your brother in the NFL?’ And I remember it like it was yesterday. He was like, ‘Man, it’s really hard, but it’s fun’. So that’s one of my favorite memories as a kid, good and bad. But just great to be a part of that.”
Simpson made sure to note before playing against Tennessee this past season that the game wasn’t personal for him.
“Growing up, I knew about Tennessee and the Big Orange,” said Simpson. “But I don’t want to say it’s personal by any means. It’s just another game. I’m not going to make it bigger than it is. Obviously, a really good team coming in here [with] a really good defense, and a really good offense. We know what happened last year, but it’s just like Vanderbilt week. We’re not going to make it about last year; it’s going to be about this year.”
Simpson only has one season as an SEC starter under his belt. He’s a talented player, and he could potentially be a first round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he would undoubtedly benefit from returning to college for one more season to gain some additional reps before starting his pro career.
The transfer portal closes on January 16, so Simpson will have to make a decision somewhat quickly.
Tennessee Volunteers News
‘Not sure how much higher they’d go than that’ – Insider shares insight on how much the Vols may be willing to spend on a transfer QB
The Tennessee Vols are expected to be in the market for a transfer quarterback this offseason.
