Defender Ty Simpson, recruiting 27th in the 2022 rankings, was hired in Alabama on Friday.
The second caller with two threats chose the Crimson Tide over Clemson, Tennessee and UT Martin and is now the highest ranked commit in the 2022 class in Alabama. Simpson is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound defender at Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee, and he had a somewhat winding road to reach that commitment.
“It really was between Alabama, Clemson and Tennessee,” Simpson said. “Everyone had a neck and a neck. At the beginning of the year I was going to Tennessee. But then with the coach [Jeremy] Pruitt [getting fired], I started to think I was going to Clemson. I started to really think about my aspirations, my dreams and what I want in a program. So I thought the best place for me would be the University of Alabama. “
UT Martin made his final list because his father, Jason Simpson, is the head football coach there. The son offered his father’s school national recognition as a thank you for helping Ty throughout the recruitment process.
“I definitely relied on him for advice and he had a lot of conversations with the coaches,” Simpson said. “It’s very cool to get his perspective, but I’ve been experiencing it for some time, being the son of a coach. I know what is needed and what happens in recruitment. I know it’s a business.
“Being able to experiment with my recruiting was great.”
His father told him to write what he wanted to accomplish in college and to choose the school that would help him achieve these goals. His aspirations included reaching the NFL. With former NFL head coach Bill O’Brien now the offensive coordinator for Alabama, and Nick Saban’s track record for sending his players to the NFL, Alabama felt like the right choice.
“It simply came to our notice then [O’Brien] He tells me stories about the NFL and I watched the tape on the NFL and Deshaun Watson, [and] of course Tom Brady, to show the similarities in what they will do in the offense this year, “Simpson said.” It’s really cool to be at the top of football and play for a guy who’s been there and knows what it’s like to get there. “
The NFL experience, production and success that Alabama has experienced over the years and the stability that Saban has created were all factors in his decision. His commitment gives Alabama two ESPN Jr. 300 class commitments as he joins defender Robert Woodyard and also prevents a top defender from going to Clemson or Tennessee.
“It was a very difficult decision, because all those programs have what I would ever want,” Simpson said. “But what came closer was the home, the development of the player, the game with the best boys and the preparation for the NFL. Bill O’Brien, who coached the Texans, Doug Marrone, who coached the Jacksonville Jaguars and, of course, coach Saban.
“To learn from those boys every day when I’m at school there, and while I’m playing football, it’s something I dreamed of.”