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Alabama added a major component to their next recruiting promotion on Friday when five-star quarterback Ty Simpson signed up. It is the fourth commitment to a class that will not be official until the start of the signing period in December.
Locking down an armed quarterback in February isn’t a bad way to jump from a 2021 class that has topped the all-time recruiting rankings.
So who is Ty Simpson?
Here are a few things to know about the Martin, Tennessee quarterback.
– First, he’s the son of a trainer. Jason Simpson is the longtime head coach at UT-Martin, which created an interesting scene at Friday’s engagement ceremony as a Skyhawk hat was among the five on the table. A finalist’s head coach rarely sits next to the rookie (and applauds) when another school is selected. His father’s team wasn’t completely an afterthought, he told the local Jackson Sun earlier this month.
“Being able to stay home and sleep at my house and have my dad work out would be a great experience,” Simpson told The Sun. “I could come here and support my city.”
Coincidentally, Alabama was scheduled to play UT-Martin last season, but the COVID-19 pandemic called that game off.
RELATED: Ty Simpson’s coach explains what Alabama gets in 5-star QB
– While not considered a double-threat quarterback, Simpson likes to borrow some concepts from Patrick Mahomes’ play.
“The biggest aspect for me is probably how I extend the games and how I can beat the defense through the arm angles,” Simpson said in an interview with VolQuest in August. “Patrick Mahomes is proud of his blind passes and being able to throw on the go and throw with a strong arm, right? Well, few defenses can stop this and I feel like I can do it from high school.
Simpson said in the VolQuest interview that he sometimes works on blind passes after practice. Simpson’s high school coach Jarod Neal told AL.com he does some of the arm lunges Mahomes uses.
“I agree they have similarities,” Neal said. “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 in there thinking I’m starting day one,” Simpson said in an interview with Rivals Friday. “If I play a year and have a year like Mac Jones, I can make my dreams come true in the NFL and I feel like the developmental part of it with the NFL coaches and the coach Saban will be a big part of my career at the University. of Alabama. “
Simpson refers to Jones’ patience to wait his turn for a starting position behind quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa before becoming arguably the country’s best quarterback in 2020. Jones didn’t quite have it yet. the recruiting profile as Simpson, a five-star who is ranked 27th nationally and No. 3 among professional-style QBs by 247Sports. Jones was 399th overall and No.18 pro-style QB in the class of 2017.
Neal said he was a quarterback for Simpson’s dad 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 Tuscaloosa reminded him of Martin “just because all there is is Alabama and Alabama football,” in a separate interview with VolQuest in December. Martin, however, is a bit smaller than his neighboring house. The population there is just over 10,000, while Tuscaloosa has registered just over 100,000, according to the latest census data.
– The addition of former NFL coach Bill O’Brien “played a huge role,” in Alabama landing Simpson, he told Rivals on Friday. It was like he had known O’Brien all his life by meeting him, ”the QB said.
“He told me stories about his time at Texans and Penn State and about (Tom) Brady,” Simpson said in the Rivals interview. “I just felt like a guy who was in the NFL and coached the greatest quarterback of all time and has the greatest college coach of all time by his side, I think that’s a good combination.
The Coach Son has a dose of realism given the coaching job market.
“I love Coach O’Brien and 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 the best campus in America.”
–Tennessee have long been considered the favorites to land Simpson, but the recent change in coaching has had a real impact. Flights have recruited him since he was in eighth grade and he said he had a close relationship with former quarterback coach Chris Weinke and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney.
“With Coach Pruitt’s dismissal and other things going on, they fell off the map pretty quickly,” said Neal, his high school coach. “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 on Facebook.
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