Quarterback Ty Simpson, the 27th overall recruit in the 2022 class, was sent to Alabama on Friday.
Number 2 of the double threat signal caller chose Crimson Tide over Clemson, Tennessee and UT Martin, and is now the highest rated commit in Alabama’s 2022 class. Simpson is a six-foot-five-inch, 190-pound quarterback from Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, and has had a tortuous path to reach that compromise.
“It was really between Alabama, Clemson and Tennessee,” said Simpson. “They were all tied. At the beginning of the year I was going to Tennessee. But there with the Coach [Jeremy] Pruitt [getting fired], I started to think I would go to Clemson. I started to really think about what my aspirations are, my dreams and what I want from a program. So I thought the best place for me would be the University of Alabama. “
UT Martin made his final list because his father, Jason Simpson, is the main football coach there. The son was giving his father’s school some national recognition as a thanks for the help he gave Ty during the recruitment process.
“I definitely trusted him for advice and he had a lot of conversations with coaches,” said Simpson. “It’s really cool to see his perspective, but I’ve been experiencing this for some time, being the son of a coach. I know what it takes and what happens in recruiting. I know it’s a business.
“Being able to experience this with my own recruitment was incredible.”
His father told him to write down what he wanted to accomplish in college and choose the school that would help him achieve those goals. His aspirations included reaching the NFL. With former NFL coach Bill O’Brien now the offensive coordinator in Alabama, and with Nick Saban’s track record of sending his players to the NFL, Alabama seemed like the right choice.
“It’s really cool because [O’Brien] tell me stories about the NFL and we saw tapes in the NFL and Deshaun Watson, [and] of course, Tom Brady, to show the similarities in what they will do in the attack this year, “said Simpson.” It’s really cool to be on the biggest stage in football and play for a guy who’s been there and knows what it takes to get there. “
That NFL experience, the production and success that Alabama has seen over the years, and the stability that Saban has created were factors in his decision. His appointment gives Alabama two appointments to the ESPN Jr. 300 in the class, when he joins linebacker Robert Woodyard, and also prevents a prominent defender from going to Clemson or Tennessee.
“It was a super difficult decision because all of these programs have what I always wanted,” said Simpson. “But what happened was closer to home, player development, playing with the best players and preparing for the NFL. Bill O’Brien, who coached the Texans, Doug Marrone, who coached the Jacksonville Jaguars and, of course, the coach Saban.
“Learning from these guys every day that I am at school there and while playing football is something I have always dreamed of.”