Former Alabama QB Ty Simpson made a big miscalculation and now he’s trying to justify it, even though fixing it would’ve been easy
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson recently declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
History will determine if former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson made a mistake this offseason by declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
For now, though, it certainly feels like the former five-star recruit made a big miscalculation.
Simpson has a season of eligibility remaining. And he’d be wise to use that season of eligibility, considering he only has 15 career college starts under his belt. Over the past 10 years, college quarterbacks with 15 or fewer starts haven’t fared well in the NFL.
Most draft analysts agree that Simpson would benefit from another season in college football. And considering he’d get paid big money to play in college another season, it’s not like there’s much downside to waiting an additional year to enter the NFL Draft, especially since there is an overall lack of quarterback development these days.
Simpson is a talented quarterback. He has the potential to be an NFL starter on a good team. But he’s not a finished product yet — the Tennessee native had some uneven performances down the stretch in 2025, including against Georgia in the SEC Championship when he completed less than 50 percent of his passes, and in the College Football Playoff when he passed for just 67 yards in a season-ending loss to Indiana.
So why is Simpson in such a rush to get to the NFL when he’d clearly benefit from another season of development?
Apparently, it’s all about his “legacy” at Alabama.
Ty Simpson is using his ‘legacy’ at Alabama as a reason for entering the NFL Draft instead of continuing his development
Simpson could’ve returned to college and gotten paid big money to compete for a national championship in 2026.
It’s a path that numerous quarterbacks have taken in the NIL/transfer portal era. Sometimes it works out — Fernando Mendoza at Indiana, for example. And sometimes it comes up just short — Carson Beck at Miami this past season.
Simpson, who seemed to be pushed out the door at Alabama in favor of younger options, had a chance to take that path as the Tennessee Vols and Miami Hurricanes were very interested in adding him as a transfer addition.
But instead of taking the path that would’ve been best for his career, Simpson skipped out on a golden opportunity to refine his game at the college level in an effort to protect his legacy at Alabama.
“The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else where I didn’t go out of high school, and I didn’t want to play,” said Simpson to AL.com last week. “I love coach (Kalen) DeBoer, I love the University of Alabama. I love the fans. I love everything about it.”
Simpson made similar comments to On3’s Chris Low in January.
My question would be: what legacy is he talking about?
Simpson started one year at Alabama; he lost four games, didn’t win an SEC Championship, and was blown out by Indiana in the College Football Playoff. His legacy at Alabama is akin to Nico Iamaleava’s legacy at Tennessee.
And look, that’s not to be dismissive of Simpson’s accomplishments. He’s clearly talented, and he has the potential to be a truly great player at the next level. He’s a good leader and teammate, and he’s coachable. He’s accomplished things in college football that most young athletes will never come close to achieving.
But the legacy thing is….misguided. I mean, Jalen Hurts has more of a legacy at Alabama than Simpson. Hurts was 26-2 as a starter in Tuscaloosa and then sat on the bench for a year before transferring to Oklahoma. Is there anyone who thinks Hurts’ legacy is “tarnished” because he played for the Sooners before going to the NFL? Maybe. But I bet that didn’t bother him one bit when he was hoisting the Super Bowl trophy with his Philadelphia Eagles teammates a year ago.
And why is a 23-year-old quarterback even worried about legacy? Why is that even on the radar? Your legacy is something you build over years of hard work. And you can’t manipulate it. Opportunity, health, and good luck/fortune play a major role in what a legacy looks like at the end of a career. It’s something that should happen organically.
Another question I have is: why is Simpson suggesting that transferring to a school he didn’t sign with out of high school is a bad thing that tarnishes legacies? That feels like a massive insult to players like Mendoza, Hurts, Bo Nix, Cam Ward, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Jaxson Dart, etc.
Is there something wrong with Mendoza’s legacy of transferring from California to Indiana and then winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship and likely becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft? Is his legacy tarnished because of that? Is Daniels’ legacy tarnished because he left Arizona State and won the Heisman Trophy at LSU?
Simpson admitted he considered transferring to Tennessee after the 2024 season (and it might’ve happened if Iamaleava had left during the winter transfer window instead of the spring transfer window). It’s not as if Simpson never considered playing for another school.
But for whatever reason, he thinks he would tarnish his legacy by doing what’s best for his future.
Maybe it all works out for Simpson. Maybe he gets drafted in the first round, starts as a rookie, and things go smoothly for him. The odds, however, are against that scenario. There’s a real scenario where Simpson ends up on a bad team, struggles because of a lack of talent around him (or lack of good coaching), and then ends up being a journeyman quarterback a la Mitch Trubisky.
Simpson could’ve returned to college (Tennessee would’ve welcomed him with open arms), gained more experience, possibly won a Heisman Trophy or a national championship, and created a legacy that would’ve withstood the test of time.
Instead, Simpson chose the path where his legacy will simply be that he didn’t transfer. That’s it.
Maybe it’s not too late for Simpson to take the smarter path. The transfer portal is closed, but no one really seems to pay attention to NCAA rules anymore…
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