(Head coach Todd) Monken has espoused an open competition for that position, and you know how it is — a new head coach will want at least one quarterback he likes, as opposed to those he may have inherited. Monken was also open to bringing in an outsider to compete for reps, and this is where someone like Alabama’s Ty Simpson could come in.
Because on the surface, Simpson seems to have it all on the ball, especially for a guy who only started one year in college. In 2025 for the Crimson Tide, the 6-foot-1 ⅛”, 211-pound Simpson completed 306 of 474 passes for 3,561 yards, 28 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 102.5. He also ran the ball 70 times for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He completed 26 of 62 passes of 20 or more air yards last season for 784 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 101.2, and when under pressure, he managed 58 of 111 passes for 703 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 75.0. Now, when blitzed, Simpson was amazing — 121 completions in 208 attempts for 1,409 yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 95.6. He also adds functionality to one’s offense as a runner on designed runs and scrambles, and he’s very good outside the pocket.
I recently did a longer-form video about my concerns regarding Simpson’s NFL future, but I also don’t think that any of the things he needs to work on are unmanageable — they just require more coaching. And that’s something that Monken can certainly do.