Ty Simpson reflects on conversation he had with Saban about potentially transferring 2 days before he retired

Alabama football’s starting quarterback Ty Simpson has been applauded for his decision to stick out in Tuscaloosa and wait to earn his opportunity to be QB1.

This is a road Simpson knew he would possibly have to travel the moment he signed with the Crimson Tide. But the journey still had its fair share of doubt and uncertainty. One of those times was a few days before Nick Saban retired. Simpson had been a backup in Tuscaloosa for two seasons at that point, and the Tide’s starting quarterback at the time Jalen Milroe was set to return to the team for his final season.

All signs pointed to Simpson having to be a backup quarterback for atleast another year. This led him to have a conversation with Saban.

I chose to come back,” Simpson said on a recent episode of “Bussin’ with The Boys” “Literally, like, two days before, I had a conversation with him, like, “Hey, Coach, you know, what should I do?” We talked about it, and he said, “I get it if you want to leave, but I know you, and I know what you wanted in recruiting. If you wanna create value for yourself and you want to be a first-round draft pick, this could be a great story for you and you could leave a legacy here.” And so I thought about it, prayed about it, and I was like, You know what, like you’re right. And then next thing you know, he retires.”

Simpson said he was shell-shocked by Saban’s decision, but he understood it.

“I’m sitting there, and I’m like, well, you know, he just lied to me,” Simpson said. “But also as a coach’s son,  I understand what was going on. I understand how he thought about it, and we had a good conversation about it, and to this day, we laugh about it.”

The former five-star’s decision to stay and buy into the direction Kalen DeBoer is taking the team, has paid off for the Tide. Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff with an opportunity to make a serious run at a National Championship in large part due to the play of Simpson this season.

Simpson will look to keep Alabama’s season rolling against Indiana in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.