Ty Simpson Opens Up About the Nick Saban Lie That Changed His Alabama Career
Coach Saban had quite the sales pitch.
Ty Simpson is a unique quarterback in today's college football landscape, given his decision to stay in Tuscaloosa for three full seasons before finally earning the starting role at Alabama. Opting not to jump into the transfer portal has paid off this season, as he has led the Crimson Tide to the second round of the College Football Playoff. However, that doesn't mean he didn't contemplate leaving earlier in his career.
Nick Saban played a role in convincing him to stay at Alabama. The then-head-coach may have lied to the young quarterback to do so, but hey, it worked.
Ty Simpson of Alabama. (Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
As Simpson explained during a recent sitdown on the ‘Bussin’ With The Boys' podcast, he met with Saban about a week after Alabama fell to Michigan in the 2024 Rose Bowl, and it's fair to say the legendary coach put together quite the sales pitch.
"He said, ‘I get it if you want to leave, but I know you, and I know what you wanted in recruiting. If you want to create value for yourself and you want to be a first-round draft pick, this could be a great story for you. You could leave a legacy here,’" Simpson said, referring to Saban. "I thought about it, prayed about it, and said, you know what? You're right.
"And the next thing you know, he retires. I'm sitting there, and I'm like, he just lied to me," Simpson explained with a smile on his face. But also as a coach's son, I understand. I understand what was going on. I understand how he thought about it. We had a good conversation about it, and to this day, we laugh about it."
Alabama lost in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, before Saban officially announced his retirement on January 10, which shows you that he was still busy trying to keep things intact in the days leading up to stepping away from the program.
If Simpson hadn't won the QB1 job during the offseason or if things had fallen off the rails after Alabama fell to Florida State in Week 1, he's probably not laughing so much at the situation, but all has worked out pretty well for the Martin, Tenn. product.
Simpson has accounted for 30 total touchdowns this season, has the Tide set up to take on Indiana in the Rose Bowl next month, and is among the highest-rated quarterbacks eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft.