Ty Simpson Considered Spurning NFL Draft to Join College Football Powerhouse

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is expected to hear his name called in the first two rounds of the 2026 NFL draft.

But there was a moment before he officially declared for the draft where he seriously considered forgoing the event and returning to college football next season.

Simpson never entered the transfer portal, but if he had, he would have been arguably the most sought-after players on the college "free-agent market."

Multiple reports indicated that before they poached QB Darian Mensah from ACC rival Duke, the Miami Hurricanes were targeting Simpson to be their QB1 in 2026. In fact, Miami reportedly offered him a head-turning $6.5 million to leave Alabama and transfer to Coral Gables - an offer he nearly took.

"I think the last offer was definitely one that I just had to sit down and consider, because it would have been life-changing money," Simpson said on David Pollack's "See Ball, Get Ball" podcast. "It would have made me the highest-paid player in college, and it was something to where I was like, I can't just ignore this. I have to sit down and think about it.

"That's how I am, I don't want to do anything sporadic. I want to sit down and think it all out, and it really just came down to how I wanted to be remembered and what do I want to do."

Simpson was torn over the decision to take the NIL money or test the NFL waters. So much so, in fact, that he sought council of a familiar face to help him make his decision.

"I actually talked to coach (Nick) Saban about this," Simpson continued. "The things he was talking about were, do you want to play football in college, or do you want to play football professionally? And he was like, ‘Take the money out of it, take the rounds out of it, what do you want to do next year?'

"And without a doubt, without hesitation, I said, ‘I want to play professional football.' And he was like, ‘Well, there's your answer.' It was something that I've always dreamed of, and I felt that I was ready to take that next step and be the face of a franchise and lead a locker room."

Simpson got feedback from the league that there was a good chance of him being a first-round pick, and once he felt secure that he could go early in the draft, his decision was all but made for him.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 3:17 PM.