AJ McCarron weighs in on Alabama QB battle, workout partner Ty Simpson

AJ McCarron has been working out with Ty Simpson even before the younger quarterback enrolled at Alabama, so perhaps he’s biased.

But the former Crimson Tide star — quarterback of Alabama’s 2011 and 2012 national-championship teams — sees a clear favorite in the current race to start under center in Tuscaloosa. Speaking to reporters at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am Celebrity golf tournament at Greystone in Birmingham on Wednesday, McCarron said he believes Simpson is in the driver’s seat in his competition with sophomore Austin Mack and freshman Keelon Russell.

“I think it’s Ty’s job to lose,” McCarron said. “He’s been there, he’s put in the work. Players respect him, and he’s talented and he’s a great kid.”

A redshirt junior, Simpson has played only sparingly in his three seasons at Alabama. In 16 games, he’s completed 29 of 50 passes for 381 yards without a touchdown or an interception, though he has run for three scores.

But with two-year Jalen Milroe off to the NFL, Simpson’s time is now. He’ll be under a spotlight with which McCarron — a three-year starter who played on some of the greatest teams in Alabama football history — is wholly familiar.

“That’s what me and Ty have talked about before, just the pressure of playing at Alabama, expectations,” McCarron said. “Listen, it comes with it. It’s what you signed up for. It’s what makes Alabama such a special place to play at, I think. Pressure creates diamonds. So go out, have fun, do what you’ve done your whole life and let the chips where they fall.”

McCarron and Simpson have often worked out together during the offseason at QB Country in Mobile. It’s something they first did in 2021, the summer before Simpson’s senior year in high school.

McCarron said he’s confident Simpson — a Tennessee native and son of UT-Martin head coach Jason Simpson — is mentally prepared to be Alabama’s QB1.