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Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier Hype up SEC Quarterback on Social Media

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dean Koutouratsas | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 11:53 AM ET

The Alabama Crimson Tide has a three-way quarterback battle going on to determine who will start under center for them throughout this upcoming season.

The contestants battling it out are redshirt junior Ty Simpson, freshman Austin Mack and 5-star recruit Keelon Russell. As of Thursday, Simpson is considered the frontrunner because he is comfortable with the roster after spending three seasons in Tuscaloosa.

Heading into this season, he had thrown for 381 yards but zero touchdowns across all three years. Simpson also has the privilege of playing alongside talented wide receivers such as Ryan Williams, Kendrick Law and Rico Scott.

Furthermore, he also showed off his arm talent in front of NFL legends Eli and Peyton Manning at the Manning Passing Academy this week. During the event, Simpson posed for a photo with Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning and LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who both showed their support for the Crimson Tide quarterback.

“Legend,” Manning commented on one of Simpson’s recent Instagram posts, while Nussmeier wrote “The man!”

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A post shared by Ty Simpson (@ty_simpson06)

The tandem of quarterbacks' comments come as no surprise because they have mutual respect for another as their school’s starting quarterbacks. Manning is heading into his first season as the Longhorns' starter and will be looking to lead them back to the College Football playoffs.

Meanwhile, Nussmeier is heading into his senior season with LSU and is looking to help his team win its first national championship since 2019-20. Texas has neither Alabama nor LSU on its schedule, while the Crimson Tide take on the Tigers in Week 8 of the season on Nov. 8.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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