PAULA OSPINA/ The Jackson Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Can Ty Simpson be a cross between AJ McCarron and Jake Coker?

Originally posted on Touchdown Alabama Magazine
By Stephen M. Smith | Last updated 6/8/23

Bryce Young’s departure to the National Football League has Alabama fans asking one question: Which scholarship quarterback presents the Crimson Tide with the best chance to win a national championship?

Nick Saban has five players at the position to select from.

Tommy Rees, Alabama’s new offensive coordinator, will not completely change the scheme, but he has to have a quarterback that executes what he likes. All five quarterbacks have been working hard, including Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Milroe had several Tide wide receivers with him in South Florida while Simpson has trained with QB Country and his dad, Coach Jason.

Both possess different skill sets, but does Simpson fit the scheme better?

On Tuesday, “The Final Whistle” panel via The Bama Standard discussed how Simpson could bring more balance to Alabama’s offense under Rees. Matt Caddell, a former Alabama receiver, compared Simpson to how Joe Burrow is playing in the NFL.

“I think that Ty Simpson under Tommy Rees is going to be like Joe Burrow,” Caddell said.

“I am not going to say Joe Burrow at LSU, but I’m going to say Burrow in the Cincinnati Bengals offense. Thecanto throw the ball effectively, but when they play against the Kansas City Chiefs, [Joe] Mixon is getting off. They are still running the ball. It is going to be more of a methodical type of approach. I think with Ty Simpson, the weapons we have, and with Tommy Rees’ offense, I think we could have the same effect as a Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati offense.”

The Burrow comparison was nice for Caddell; however, he also kept things in perspective for Alabama fans.

He said he would like to see Simpson carry the same ‘savviness’ of AJ McCarron or Jake Coker at the position.

“He has to have the command of an AJ McCarron or Jake Coker in the offense,” Caddell said about Simpson.

“If he takes the position, he is going to have to have those intangibles where he’s like ‘Listen guys, I am the best quarterback for this job.’ He is going to have to have that savviness of a Coker or a McCarron.”

Fall camp is going to be a lot of entertainment. We will see who takes the starting quarterback job for Alabama.

This article first appeared on Touchdown Alabama Magazine and was syndicated with permission.

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