Goodman: Doubts remain about Alabama QB Ty Simpson

Fall camp is here. Time to decide on a starting quarterback at Alabama.

Ty Simpson was given the honor back in the spring, but it came with a significant caveat from assistant coach Ryan Grubb. Alabama’s new offensive coordinator said Simpson would be the starter “if the season started today.”

To be continued, in other words.

It was a clever way to keep Simpson from packing up and leaving Alabama in this age of the transfer portal while also allowing for the possibility that Simpson might not be QB1 when the season begins.

Why did Grubb leave himself room to wiggle?

The reason is because there are still doubts about Simpson, who was behind former quarterback Jalen Milroe for two seasons.

The two other options at quarterback are second-year transfer Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell, the nation’s No.1 rated passer of the most recent recruiting class. Both are Kalen DeBoer guys, but for the second year in a row Alabama’s coach goes into a preseason camp with a projected starting quarterback he didn’t recruit.

Is anyone convinced that Simpson is the best option? Based on last year’s results, holdover quarterbacks aren’t exactly a recipe for success.

Is DeBoer really about to tie his future to another quarterback he didn’t recruit?

It’s fair to question Simpson’s ability to lead Alabama. The hope is that he’s the next Mac Jones, but how many other coaches around the SEC are in the same position as DeBoer? The answer is zero. Every coach of a major program now has the luxury of hand selecting a quarterback, but DeBoer is still coaching in the shadows of his predecessor with leftover players.

These days, everyone brings along their own quarterbacks. DeBoer did it at Washington with transfer Michael Penix, and Penix led the Huskies to a championship game.

If Simpson were so good, then wouldn’t he have already been given a chance to start?

Let’s not forget that rainy day against South Florida at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. Former coach Nick Saban benched Milroe for the third game of the 2023 season after his disastrous game against Texas. Simpson didn’t start against South Florida, though. Saban tabbed Tyler Buchner, who was so bad at football that day that he later became a lacrosse player for Notre Dame.

Buchner struggled to complete a pass against South Florida and so Saban put Simpson in the game. Suddenly, the former five-star recruit had his chance to win the job. He was then sacked five times.

Milroe was back in his role as starter the next week against Ole Miss and never lost it again despite a horrendous finish to the 2024 season.

The glory days of Alabama quarterback gold ended with Bryce Young, and there is no proof that Simpson is good enough to lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff. Times change. This preseason, the best quarterbacks in the SEC are at Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida.

The biggest questions are at Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

I like the idea of rewarding loyalty in today’s college football. No one wants a sport of mercenaries, but, like it or not, that’s the game. Simpson has been waiting his turn at Alabama for four years. If he struggles in the first half at FSU, then he’s done.

If Alabama loses at FSU, then DeBoer might be done, too.

Not to compare DeBoer and the GOAT, but Saban didn’t need his own quarterback to win his first national championship at Alabama.

Quarterback Greg McElroy was a Mike Shula recruit, but that was a different era of college football. Alabama won the championship for the 2009 season with a strong defense and a devastating running game. McElroy didn’t even throw a touchdown pass in the national championship game against Texas.

DeBoer is chasing his first championship at Alabama, but he’s going to need something more than McElroy to win the SEC in this modern era.

There will be comparisons between Simpson and Mac Jones this preseason. That’s the dream, and maybe that’s the reality, too. But Jones was surrounded by an all-time team in 2020. Receiver DeVonta Smith won the Heisman, Jones finished second in the voting and running back Najee Harris was third.

The days of super teams at Alabama might not be over, but stockpiling first-round picks like Saban are a thing of the past.

If college football is a gun-for-hire game, then why is Alabama pulling an old rifle off the shelf?

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