Recent Alabama quarterback signee Ty Simpson won’t have to worry about Will Anderson Jr. — not yet anyway.
Simpson joined No. 1 Alabama last week in time to serve on the scout team during the Crimson Tide's preparation for its Cotton Bowl matchup against No. 4 Cincinnati on Dec. 31. During an interview with BamaInsider, the four-star quarterback joked that his first bit of business would be finding Anderson on the practice field to plead for some mercy from the 6-foot-4, 243-pound pass rusher during live reps.
It turns out, Anderson found him instead.
“I had seen [his comment] already, and I went up to him,” Anderson said with a smile. “I told him, ‘You don’t have to worry about me hitting you right now, but just know that in the springtime, you gonna see me all the time. I’m gonna always be in your face.' He don’t have to worry about me right now.’”
Other than the impending doom of facing off against this season’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in a few months, things seem to be going pretty well for Simpson in his first week at Alabama. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound passer was seen in the background during Alabama’s released practice footage Monday and is already drawing positive reviews from starting quarterback Bryce Young.
Tuesday, Young said he got to know Simpson pretty well through the recruiting process while stating that the relationship is continuing to grow now that the two are teammates.
“You build a relationship with a guy just from talking and then when you see them on the field and you guys are doing the same things in the same meeting rooms, that makes all the difference,” Young said. “So seeing how attentive he is in meetings, he’s really trying to stick onto it. Everything he’ll be saying in meetings and he’s talked to me, talked to the other guys about just how we see things and for a young guy that’s that curious and wants to learn, that’s always a good sign.
“You can tell he’s a natural thrower. He’s made some really good throws even early and that’s not easy when you’re kinda thrust into — straight from coming from high school — you’re thrust into us and playoff practice mode at the end of the season kinda just thrust in and taking some reps he’s made some good throws and he definitely has all the potential in the world and we’re all excited to see him grow and develop.”
Simpson, the son of Tennessee-Martin head coach Jason Simpson, joined Alabama as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 31 overall player in his class. During his senior season this year, the younger Simpson earned Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year honors, passing for 2,921 yards and 44 touchdowns while rushing for 1,206 yards and 15 more scores while leading his team to a 15-1 record and a state title.
“The guy's got a really good arm,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said of Simpson last week. “He's very accurate. He's smart. He's kind of one of those guys that loves football, is always asking football questions, wants to learn as much as he can. I think sometimes those guys get referred to as football junkies, but that's a good thing and certainly a good thing at the quarterback position. I think he's bright. He's smart, he's a good decision-maker. He's very instinctive as a player. He can make plays with his feet.”
Simpson will practice again with Alabama on Tuesday and Wednesday before the team takes the following three days off for Christmas. From there, Alabama will travel to Texas for its Cotton Bowl matchup against Cincinnati on Dec. 31.
“What to expect from me is just a hard worker who loves football,” Simpson told BamaInsider last week. “I’m a football junkie, coach’s son, who grew up around the game and understands what it takes to be a pro just from people around the building. I’m going, work my tail off, and I’m just going to earn my respect and earn my way on the field if I ever get that opportunity. I’m excited to be an Alabama Crimson Tide.”
No. 1 Alabama (12-1) will play No. 4 Cincinnati (13-0) inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas as one of two semifinal games in the College Football Playoff. The winner will advance to the championship game on Jan. 10.
