Ty Simpson has played his last down in Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama quarterback announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he is declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Grateful for every single second. Blessed beyond measure to be able to chase my dreams,” he wrote in a caption alongside of a video of his highlights from youth football all the way to this season with the Crimson Tide.
“Time to roll. Roll Tide.”
Simpson came to Alabama in 2022 and finally became the starter as a junior this season. He impressed most of the way with 3,567 passing yards with 28 touchdowns to five interceptions.
He led the SEC in both completions (305) and pass attempts (473).
Simpson delivered a strong College Football Playoff first-round game on the round against Oklahoma with 232 yards and two touchdowns, but the same couldn’t be said for the quarterfinal against Indiana when he was benched in the second half after getting suffering an injury — which he said was a cracked rib — on a big hit.
He finished 12-for-16 passing and 67 yards.
“Felt like I had a good thing going on that drive when I got hit,” Simpson said after the Rose Bowl. “It kind of changed the momentum for sure. … The competitor in me wanted to make sure I got the first down. Got more than the first down, and then should have been smart and just got down.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Simpson as the third quarterback likely to be taken in this year’s draft behind Heisman Trophy-winning Indiana signal-caller Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Though there are questions about whether Simpson will be a first- or second-round pick, his father, Jason Simpson, told ESPN on Wednesday that all the teams he had been in contact with said they have his son as a Day 1 selection.
Who those teams are is unclear.
“Nobody said second round,” his dad said.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
