Former Alabama star quarterback urges fans to exercise patience when it comes to Ty Simpson's first season as the starter

Ty Simpson is trending towards being named Alabama's starter for the season opener against Florida State. No, the redshirt junior hasn't officially locked up the job, but it's become evident that he's the frontrunner due to his experience and ability to operate the offense.

His three seasons in Tuscaloosa should only benefit him in his quest to lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoffs, but fans should keep in mind that he's still a new starter with only 188 career snaps and 50 pass attempts. There will be growing pains as he gets comfortable in his new role.

During the latest episode of "The Dynasty" podcast with Chris Stewart, AJ McCarron and Trent Richardson, McCarron went on somewhat of a rant about Alabama fans exercising patience with Simpson. As a three-time national-championship winner (two of which were as a starter), I'd say he's coming from a place of experience.

“Bama fans need to understand this and have some patience with Ty,” McCarron told Stewart and Richardson. “I don’t want this kid to lose his confidence off of some tough games or some tough throws or bad decisions. Let him gain his confidence.”

McCarron went on to share his own similar experiences and how he was allowed to lean on Alabama's run game (with guys like Richardson) and the defense in the early of that 2011 season, and how that ultimately helped him gain confidence where the team could rely on him later in the year.

“When you look at my first year, when I first started, and this is how I’m kind of looking at Ty for this year. It was, we have a great defense in 2011, we had great running backs, let’s lean on Trent (Richardson),” McCarron said. “And then when it got late in the year, we know these teams are going to load the box. We know they’re going to play more man-to-man coverage. Now, it’s on you.

"I still remember Jim McElwain saying in those 34 days we had before we played LSU in the National Championship, he literally came to me and said, 'this game is on you. We are going to throw it early and often. I need you to be successful.' I was ready for that moment because I had the whole year and there were certain times where in certain games, the Florida game, I throw Marquis (Maze) a back shoulder fade on a big third down, we’re backed up. That really kind of put the game away.

"But you have those moments throughout the year. And for Ty, he needs to make those moments count, but you don’t need every moment to be on him. So, let this kid grow organically. And then at the end of the year, when you’re in the playoffs and you’re facing these tough games now, you can put more on his shoulders.”

Regardless of who ends up starting, there will be growing pains. Whether it's Simpson, Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, all three are immensely talented, but there's not enough experience to avoid those growing pains altogether. Instead, it's about who can have the best combination of 1) making plays 2) avoiding back-breaking mistakes and 3) commanding the offense.

There's no doubt Russell provides the most upside in the long-term, but he's still a true freshman who has never even run out of that Bryant-Denny Stadium tunnel for a game. Simpson's on-field experience is limited to, but he's seen the highs and lows throughout his career. He knows what to expect, and he's got more than enough talent to take advantage of his opportunity.