Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has officially taken a significant step toward his professional career by submitting his name for the NFL Draft. The redshirt junior finalized his decision on Tuesday, following a week of deliberation and lucrative transfer offers from various colleges.
Initially, Simpson had declared his intention to go pro but was swayed by substantial offers from schools such as Tennessee and Ole Miss, both proposing $4 million for his transfer. However, Miami raised the stakes with a $6.5 million offer. “Miami was kind of like, “All right, we”re moving on,” and then they lost out and came back with that big number,” Simpson shared in an interview with Chris Low of On3. “And then Ole Miss called again and said they could match it.”
Despite the enticing financial incentives, Simpson ultimately decided to pursue his original goal of entering the NFL Draft. He revealed that he received evaluations from 18 NFL teams, with 17 of them assigning him a first-round grade after a season where he led the Crimson Tide to the playoffs, all while dealing with multiple injuries.
Simpson faced challenges including a bulging disc in his back, bursitis in his elbow, and an adverse reaction to medication that caused inflammation in his stomach. Remarkably, he did not miss a start, concluding the season with 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.
On Tuesday morning, he reached out to Alabama“s head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to inform them of his decision. “KD and Coach Grubb have been so good to me,” he stated. “I was honest and told them what I”d been offered, but that I just couldn”t do it because of everything I stood for and what Alabama had meant to me and the legacy that I built there. Everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year. But I was a captain. I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes. I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama.”
The announcement provides a significant update in college football as the college football head coaches have unanimously voted to recommend expanding eligibility for redshirt years from four games to nine games, allowing players to participate in more games while maintaining their redshirt status. This recommendation will be forwarded to the Division I committees for consideration.
In other news, Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan confirmed that the organization plans to exercise the fifth-year option on former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who had a solid season with 3,011 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, leading his team to the NFC South division title.
Additionally, Alabama“s Jessica Timmons earned the title of SEC Co-Player of the Week after scoring 24 points against Kentucky, marking UA”s most significant victory over a ranked opponent since 1997. Timmons leads the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game.
Reflecting on past moments, on January 14, 1965, quarterback Joe Namath was elected captain of the 1964 team, while Ray Ogden was named alternate captain. Coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant announced he would attend Namath”s surgery in New York. Moreover, on January 14, 2013, Eddie Lacy graced the cover of Sports Illustrated following Alabama”s victory over Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game.
