Ty Simpson replaces Tyler Buchner at quarterback vs. South Florida

Tyler Buchner got his first start at quarterback for Alabama on Saturday vs. South Florida, but it would be short-lived. Ty Simspon replaced Buchner with less than four minutes remaining in the second quarter with the Crimson Tide trailing 3-0.

Buchner failed to lead Alabama to a score in the opening quarter as he was just 4-of-9 passing for 25 yards. He didn’t look much better coming out of nearly an hour-long weather delay as he went just 2-for-5 in the second quarter for nine yards before being replaced.

The Crimson Tide went three-and-out on three of their first four drives and committed a fumble on the other. That turnover set up South Florida at the Alabama 30-yard line as it went on to kick a field goal to take a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. Buchner, who transferred from Notre Dame this offseason, was unable to answer, resulting in his benching.

Simpson redshirted last season and appeared in four games to finish 4-of-5 passes for 35 yards. He ranked as the No. 25 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the 2022 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Shortly after Simpson entered the game, the Crimson Tide scored their first points of the game on a field goal to tie things up at 3. Simpson didn’t look much better during his brief time in the game, however, as he ended the half 0-for-3 passing.

Alabama entered the year with a quarterback battle on its hands and ultimately awarded the job to Jalen Milroe. He led the Crimson Tide to a dominant 56-7 victory against Middle Tennessee in the season opener. However, they dropped the following game 34-24 to Texas as Milroe was sacked five times and threw a pair of interceptions.

That led to the Crimson Tide opting to start Buchner in his place in Week 3.

It appears Alabama has still yet to nail down a quarterback midway through its first game of the season. Buchner and Simpson combined to go just 5-of-17 (29%) in the first half of play. Simpson again got the nod over both Buchner and Milroe to start the second half against USF.

Even if the Crimson Tide are able to come back and win, this game casts serious doubt over whether it has the talent at quarterback to be a contender.