Ty Simpson recalls childhood heartbreak while watching Tennessee

A 7-year-old Ty Simpson didn’t understand the difference between FBS and FCS competition. Supporting his father’s Tennessee-Martin team inside Neyland Stadium back in 2010, he learned that the disparity the hard way. 

It was Derek Dooley’s debut game in charge of the Volunteers. While things didn’t go well during the former coach’s tenure at Tennessee, the Vols were cooking that Saturday night. Watching the 50-0 dismantling of his father’s team is one of Simpson’s first memories of Tennessee football.  

“I was crying in the little locker room right there,” Simpson recalled, “because I didn’t really know like at the time FBS vs. FCS, how it worked. I was like, ‘50-0. What the heck? What’s going on?’” 

Simpson, the son of Tennessee-Martin head coach Jason Simpson, grew up rooting for his father’s team first. However, the Tennessee native also saw plenty of Volunteers growing up. Simpson said he grew up idolizing Tennessee legend Peyton Manning. 

In fact, he has a far more pleasant memory regarding the NFL Hall of Famer stemming back to that forgettable night inside Neyland. 

“Peyton Manning was on the other sideline,” Simpson recalled. “In pregame, I walked over there and I asked him, ‘How’s it feel to play against your brother [Eli] in the NFL?’ I remember it like it was yesterday. He was like, ‘Man, it’s really hard, but it’s fun.’ So that’s one of my favorite memories as a kid.” 

Simpson will have an opportunity to make a few more positive memories this Saturday when he takes the field for No. 6 Alabama against No. 11 Tennessee inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. During his three previous years at Alabama, the redshirt junior never saw the field against his home-state Volunteers. 

“I’m very excited,” Simpson said. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a kid. I grew up watching this game, so just a blessing to play, honestly, just another SEC game, another ranked opponent at home. So just very, very excited.”

Simpson was named Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior season at Westview High School, when he threw for 2,827 yards and 41 touchdowns with just three interceptions while rushing for 862 yards and 11 scores en route to leading his team to the state title. Through six games this season, Simpson has completed 70.9% of his passes for 1,678 yards and 16 touchdowns with one interception. He has also added 58 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.

Alabama (5-1, 3-0) and Tennessee (5-1, 2-1) are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC. The Volunteers won last year’s meeting, knocking off the Tide 24-17 in Knoxville.