As Tennessee was scouring the market for a potential quarterback addition through the transfer portal, one familiar name began popping up. It wasn’t a sure-fire move by any stretch, but it was a path that Tennessee seemingly went down in hopes of bolstering its roster with a playoff-caliber player.
As former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson weighed his options of returning to college football or declaring for the NFL Draft, some believed that Tennessee could’ve been a potential option if he had decided to wait on the NFL and test the college market. Simpson is a Tennessee native and would’ve made for a good fit with Josh Heupel’s offense.
That’s not what ended up happening, though. On Tuesday, On3’s Charlie Potter reported that Simpson was set to sign his paperwork to officially enter the NFL Draft. Tennessee, as well as a few other teams, were left to reevaluate their options with Simpson off the board.
According to On3’s Chris Low, Miami and Tennessee originally made Simpson a big financial offer. Ole Miss jumped into the bidding war as well, and the offers continued to rise. But Simpson wound up declining any and all collegiate offers to enter the NFL Draft. Part of that reason was because of the legacy and mark that he had made in his lone season starting with the Crimson Tide.
“Everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year,” Simpson told Low. “But I was a captain. I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes. I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama.”
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Low’s report states that Simpson sought out the advice of former championship-winning head coach Nick Saban. The now-college football analyst didn’t turn him away from Tennessee or any of the other suitors, but instead asked him about the broader picture of what he wanted to do with his career.
According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Simpson is ranked as the third-best quarterback prospect in the upcoming draft, behind only Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore. A ranking like that, depending on the NFL’s quarterback market, would likely warrant a first-round draft pick. Tennessee would have loved to have a sure-fire NFL-caliber quarterback on their roster next year, but they would’ve had to win a bidding war – and convince Simpson to stay in college football – in order to do so.
Tennessee has struck out on its quarterback prospects so far, including Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt and Simpson. The Vols will enter the 2026 season with redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon on their roster, but adding another body into the room for the upcoming quarterback battle is advantageous.
For more on the potential players that Tennessee could look to add from the portal at this stage, click here.
