Alabama QB Ty Simpson well aware ‘crazy stuff’ can happen in Iron Bowl

Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) during warmups before the game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Ty Simpson is a true southerner, growing up in Tennessee and playing football as a child. But unlike many who reside in Tennessee, his loyalty did not lie with the Volunteers or the Commodores; it sat with FCS UT-Martin.

Simpson’s father, Jason, was the head coach of UT-Martin’s football program. Because Simpson’s father was also a football coach, they had a special relationship, one that was spent on learning to play football instead of watching it.

As a result, Simpson grew up watching all the classic southern rivalries: the Egg Bowl, Tennessee-Vanderbilt, the Iron Bowl, etc. Now that Simpson has become a leader for one of the teams he used to watch growing up, it means more to him.

“Growing up in Tennessee, the Vanderbilt-Tennessee rivalry. You know, my dad being from Mississippi, it was the Egg Bowl, and then the Iron Bowl,” Simpson said. “I feel like I never really missed the Iron Bowl growing up watching because I remember the kick six, you know, all of those growing up. But then, being a part of it, this being my fourth one, crazy stuff has happened. You know it’s rivalry week. To be a part of a game like this and the tradition, it’s like no other, so I’m very blessed to be a part of it.”

Simpson also talked about what he remembers from the 2023 Iron Bowl, the game in which an Alabama victory relied on a successful fourth-and-goal conversion from the 31-yard line from quarterback Jalen Milroe to wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

“So, I, of course, it was crazy,” Simpson said. “I remember that play because Jase [McClellan] had just gotten hurt, and Jase is a really good friend of mine. So, that’s my friend. I’m going to go check on him on the sideline, see if he’ll be fine, and then the sideline goes crazy and I’m like, ‘What just happened?’ Jalen threw the fourth-and-31 pass, so just crazy stuff right… What’s the ESPN percentage? Probably not to our liking, I guess, but never had a doubt.”

Now that Simpson has earned his role as the starter of the Crimson Tide, he will have his chance to lead Alabama into Jordan-Hare and secure a much-needed victory, one that will also secure the Tide a spot in the SEC Championship game.

It always seems as though the Tigers are most dangerous when they have nothing to lose, especially when they’re at home, and that’s exactly the situation that the Tide will be walking into with the season on the line.