Nick Saban says Ty Simpson 'earned the right' to be second team quarterback

Alabama has chosen to move forward with Jalen Milroe as its starting quarterback after Week 3’s Tyler Buchner–Ty Simpson experiment vs. USF almost horribly backfired.

Taking down the Bulls 17-3, Buchner and Simpson combined for 107 yards and no touchdowns. Still, Simpson was the more efficient 5-for-9 with 73 yards compared to Buchner’s 5-for-14 for 34 yards, Neither was great, but Simpson’s performance last week has solidified himself as the clear second-string quarterback.

“Right now, Ty Simpson has been getting most of the work with the twos,” Saban revealed on Wednesday. “I thought he did a good job when he went in the game. So he’s kind of earned the right to be in that position and I’m sure that he’ll continue to compete and try to get better and that’ll be good for us in the long term.

“We want to develop every player that we have in that position and continue to work with all those guys so they all get reps and have a chance to improve.”

Some expected Simpson to overtake Milroe for the starting position naturally as the season progressed. That still could be the case if Milroe struggles over the next few weeks — as many believe Simpson has the highest ceiling of anyone in the Crimson Tide quarterback room this season.

He has the smallest sample size out of the trio, but the redshirt freshman came to Tuscaloosa as a five-star recruit. The On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services, slotted Simpson as the No. 2 quarterback and No. 25 overall recruit in the country coming out of the high school ranks.

For now, it seems Milroe will retake the reigns under center. Even if the latest QB shakeup stands for the rest of the season — Simpson’s time is coming. With four more seasons of eligibility awaiting him in Tuscaloosa, or elsewhere if he chooses to enter the transfer portal, the best is ahead for the Alabama quarterback.

Even with Saban’s decision to have Simpson take over the second team role, that doesn’t mean Simpson is out of luck with playing time this season. If Alabama can begin dominating schools on a weekly basis as we’re accustomed to, Simpson will be on the field gaining key experience in low-stakes, real game situations.

If not, Simpson will be waiting in the wings ready for his number to be called.