While Tennessee football’s quarterback battle continues to rage on throughout fall camp, a Vols rival, Alabama, has named its starting signal caller.
The Crimson Tide will start the year with Ty Simpson at quarterback, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low. Simpson won the job over Austin Mack, a transfer from Washington who followed head coach Kalen DeBoer, and five-star freshman Keelon Russell.
Simpson is from the state of Tennessee as a former standout at Westview High School in Martin. His father, Jason Simpson, is the head coach at UT Martin. He has been in the position since 2006. In that time, he’s compiled a 124-92 record and five conference championships.
Ty Simpson was a five-star recruit in the 2022 class who was recruited by the majority of major schools in the country. According to 247 rankings, he was the No. 29 recruit in the country and No. 4 quarterback in the cycle. The Vols hosted Simpson multiple times, but ended up with Tayven Jackson, a four-star, as the quarterback commit in the class.
“Ty is an accurate passer,” DeBoer said during SEC Media Days in July. “He throws a catchable ball and I think that’s so key. Whether it’s down the field, whether it’s crossing routes, quick outs, comebacks, I mean, he throws a catchable ball, one that’s easy to receive as a receiver. You can throw it hard, you can throw it soft and it doesn’t mean it’s always easy to catch, and so, he does that.”
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Tennessee will meet Alabama this season in Tuscaloosa. The Vols have not won in the series on the road since 2003, when UT claimed a 51-43 win in five overtimes. However, Tennessee is 1-0 against DeBoer since his tenure began. The Vols snagged a 24-17 win at home a year ago to mark Josh Heupel’s second win over the Crimson Tide since he took over Tennessee.
In 2022, he led the Vols to a 52-49 win over Alabama to snap a 15-game losing skid. In 2023, it appeared Tennessee was going to win two in a row and grab the elusive away win, but the Vols could not hold onto a 20-7 lead they took into the half.
This year’s game is scheduled for Oct. 18. It is in the ‘flex’ spot, meaning it will be played anytime between 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET or 6-8 p.m. ET. A TV designation has not yet been announced.
If preseason rankings hold true, it’ll be a ranked matchup. In the AP Poll released on Monday, Alabama came in at No. 8 and Tennessee at No. 24.
