Ty Simpson tells what he feels held Alabama football back in 2025: “They had better schemes”

Nov 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) throws a pass during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images

Alabama football quarterback and 2026 NFL Draft prospect Ty Simpson reflected back on his last year with the Crimson Tide while talking to reporters at the NFL Combine.

Simpson was a first-year starter for Alabama during the 2025 college football season, and he led the Tide to the SEC Championship and the second round of the College Football Playoff. The season had its fair share of ups and downs with Alabama stumbling out of the gate to a 0-1 start after losing to Florida State on the road. The Tide finished the season by losing two of its last three games.

The Tennessee native accepted responsibility for the role he played in Alabama’s shortcomings last fall while reflecting back on the season.

“I definitely think I got to play better,” Simpson said. “I got to have accountability in that. I got to make sure that we win those big-time games. I think that this kind of happens sometimes in the sense of we played better teams. We had better, they had better schemes. We just got to make it simple. We got to make the easy plays easy. You got to stick to what we’re good at. And I think a lot of the times, right, like us being banged up, we had some injuries. We just got to overcome it and big players step up.”

Simpson went on to express he was proud of his teammates for what they did accomplish throughout the season.

“I’m really proud of the team,” Simpson told reporters. “I’m not taking anything away from our team and what they did, right? We won a playoff game on the road, coming down 17-0. We went to the Rose Bowl. We went to the SEC Championship. That’s a long season, guys. I’m not trying to make an excuse by any means, but the fact that we started off the season the way we did went all the way down had a really good stretch. Super proud of my teammates and super happy for what they did. I love those guys and super proud to be an Alabama Crimson Tide.”

Simpson is set to throw at the NFL Combine this week in front of NFL Scouts.