Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Ty Simpson spent three years waiting for his turn at Alabama, and now he is playing like a quarterback who was ready long before the job was his. In 2025, the Crimson Tide’s full-time starter threw 21 touchdown passes against one interception in his first nine games, then helped Alabama reach the second round of the College Football Playoffs.
That kind of jump has pushed Simpson into another spotlight, too. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks called him a quarterback coach’s dream, praising him as a talented technician with the instincts and awareness of a 10-year pro. Simpson is also expected to be the second quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, a rise that has turned every Saturday into part of a bigger family story.
The weight of it starts at home. Simpson is the son of Jason Simpson, the head coach at UT Martin since 2006, and Julie. While Ty has been building his season in Alabama, his parents have been splitting attention across overlapping games on the same weekend, with Julie often in the stands and Jason tracking the Skyhawks from his own sideline. Their younger son, Graham, also plays high school football, which only adds to the blur of scoreboards and schedules.
Julie Simpson said she would not have it any other way, except for one thing: if Ty could play during the day and the Skyhawks at night. She said it has been amazing to watch both of them do what they love and reach their dreams, and called her son’s football path something she has seen since he was a little bitty boy. She said he grew up in the locker room and on the field, waited patiently for his chance and knew he could do it.
The family’s connection to the game runs deeper than one breakthrough season. Jason Simpson has led UT Martin to five Ohio Valley Conference titles over 21 seasons, after earlier coaching stops at Jacksonville State, Texas State and Chattanooga. He also quarterbacked at Mississippi State and played baseball there before hitting baseballs for two seasons at Southern Miss.
The tension in this story is that Ty’s rise has not separated him from the family routine; it has made it more complicated. He has told reporters after multiple games this season that he would not take questions until he found out whether the Skyhawks had won. Jason Simpson said it means a lot that his son still wants the result, because he grew up in that locker room and this was his Alabama growing up. Jason said it is a great feeling when both of them get to experience wins, which is about as plain a summary of this family’s season as there is.
For Alabama, Ty’s rapid development has changed the shape of its offense and its postseason ceiling. For the Simpsons, it has turned one football calendar into three, with Tuscaloosa, Martin and the next level all moving at once. That is why this season feels bigger than a breakout year: it is the first time the family’s long wait, their weekend juggling and Ty’s NFL future have all landed in the same place at the same time.
