Nick Saban discusses plan for five-star quarterback Ty Simpson

Days after Bryce Young became the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, head coach Nick Saban may have signed his heir in Ty Simpson.

Simpson, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback from Martin, Tennessee attended Westview High School and signed his Alabama national letter of intent last week. Though Simpson ranks as a four-star in the On3 rankings, the 2022 quarterback comes in as a five-star recruit via the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s the third-ranked quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, and Saban said that Simpson — who recently said that he’d like to enroll at Alabama early — could stand to benefit from participating in the Crimson Tide’s bowl preparation.

“It’s every player’s opportunity, if they’re mid-year (or) if they graduate, to come in and try to contribute in bowl practice, and he’s indicated that he’s maybe interested in doing that,” Saban said of Simpson. “Obviously, it’ll help his development, and it’ll help us having another hand at that position, which is always important whether it’s scout team or taking reps with the first and second team in terms of his development.”

Simpson recently avenged his 2020 high school season and accomplished what he first set out to do at Westview. Last season, Simpson threw a late-game interception in the second round of the playoffs, leading Westview to fall short of a state championship. This year, however, he threw four touchdowns and ran for one more en route to a 55-14 victory, winning both state title MVP honors and clinching Westview’s first 2A TSSAA state championship just before signing with Alabama. In the process, Simpson put a bow on both an excellent season and prep career; he finished the season with 2,921 passing yards and 44 touchdowns, while adding 1,206 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

“They won the state championship, he’s won the player of the year in Tennessee,” Saban continued. “Guy’s got a really good arm, he’s really accurate, he’s smart, he’s kind of one of those guys that loves football, is always asking football questions and wants to learn as much as he can. I think sometimes those guys get referred to as football junkies, but that’s a good thing, and certainly a good thing at the quarterback position.”

Simpson, the son of Tennessee Martin head coach Jason Simpson, has a ways to go in his development. But the Alabama signee could certainly catalyze his progress through his early arrival on campus, according to Saban, which would award him the opportunity to participate in Alabama bowl practices.

“I think he’s bright, he’s smart, he’s a good decision-maker, he’s very instinctive as a player, he can make plays with his feet,” Saban said. “I just think in every way, he was the guy we targeted in his class as being the guy that we wanted and we felt very fortunate that we were able to get him.”