Alabama added an important piece to its next recruiting class on Friday, when five-star quarterback Ty Simpson committed. It is the fourth promise to a class that will not be official until the subscription period begins in December.
Hiring a strong-arm defender in February is not a bad way out of a 2021 class that topped the recruitment ranking of all time.
So, who is Ty Simpson?
Here are some things you should know about the Martin, Tennessee quarterback.
– First, he’s the son of a coach. Jason Simpson is UT-Martin’s longtime coach, which created an interesting scene at Friday’s engagement ceremony, as a Skyhawk cap was among the five on the table. It is not common for a finalist’s head coach to sit next to the recruit (and clap) when another school is selected. His father’s team was not an afterthought, he told the local Jackson Sun earlier this month.
“Being able to stay at home and sleep at my house and have my dad training me would be an incredible experience,” Simpson told The Sun. “I could come here and support my city.”
Coincidentally, Alabama was scheduled to play against UT-Martin last season, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the game.
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– Although not considered a double threat defender, Simpson likes to borrow some concepts from Patrick Mahomes’ game.
“The best aspect for me is probably the way I extended my moves and how I can win the defense through the angles of my arms,” Simpson said in an interview with VolQuest in August. “Patrick Mahomes is proud of not looking at passes and being able to launch in the race and launch with a strong arm, right? Well, few defenses can prevent it and I feel like I can do it from the high school level. “
Simpson said in the interview to VolQuest that he will sometimes work on prohibited passes after training. Simpson’s high school coach Jarod Neal told AL.com that he practices some of the arm openings that Mahomes uses.
“I would agree that they have similarities,” said Neal. “Even with the aspect of arm strength.”
– Mac Jones’ story had a real impact on Simpson and his decision to choose Alabama.
“I’m not going there thinking I’m going to start Day 1,” Simpson said in an interview on Friday for Rivals. “If I play a year and have a year like Mac Jones did, I can fulfill my dreams in the NFL and I feel that the part of the development with the NFL coaches and Coach Saban will be a big part of my career at the University of Alabama. “
Simpson is referring to Jones’ patience in waiting his turn to start as a starter behind defenders like Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa before arguably becoming the best quarterback in the country in 2020. Jones did not have Simpson’s recruiting profile, a five stars that is classified as 27th national and No. 3 among the professional style QBs by 247Sports. Jones was 399th overall and No. 18 in professional-style QBs in the 2017 class.
Neal said he was a quarterback for Simpson’s father at UT-Martin and benefited greatly from spending two seasons watching before starting the next three.
And Jones clearly respected Simpson’s feelings.
– Simpson said that Tuscaloosa reminds him of Martin “just because all there is is Alabama and Alabama football” in a separate interview with VolQuest in December. Martin, however, is slightly smaller than his next home. The population there is just over 10,000, while Tuscaloosa registered just over 100,000, according to the most recent Census data.
– The addition of former NFL coach Bill O’Brien “played an important role” in Alabama landing Simpson, he told Rivals on Friday. It seemed like he knew O’Brien all his life when he met him, ”said QB.
“He told me stories about when he was at Texans and Penn State and about (Tom) Brady,” Simpson said in the Rivals interview. “I felt like a guy who was in the NFL and trained the The the greatest defender of all time and the greatest university coach of all time at your side, I think it’s a good combination. “
The coach’s son has a dose of realism in the coaching job market.
“I love Coach O’Brien and I hope he will be there when I am there,” said Simpson. “But if not, I know I’m going to the University of Alabama to play football on America’s best campus.”
– Tennessee was considered the favorite to get Simpson, but the recent change of coach has had a real impact. The Vols have been recruiting him since he was in eighth grade and he said he had a close relationship with former QB coach Chris Weinke and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney.
“With the dismissal of Coach Pruitt and some other things that were going on, they got off the map very quickly,” said Neal, his coach at the school. “And then, basically, everyone knew it was an Alabama-Clemson race, basically.”
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or in the Facebook.