Alabama QB Ty Simpson signs paperwork to enter 2026 NFL Draft, turns down lucrative transfer portal offers

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson signed paperwork this week to officially enter the 2026 NFL Draft, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz confirms, ending speculation he could be a potential transfer option at various programs in need, including Miami. In a draft light on quarterback prospects, CBS Sports' Mike Renner has Simpson landing with the Los Angeles Rams at No. 29 in his latest mock draft.

Even after he publicly stated his intentions last week to go pro, Simpson told On3 that Miami, Tennessee and Ole Miss all continued to pursue him. Miami's offer reached $6.5 million, Simpson said. 

"Miami was kind of like, 'All right, we're moving on,' and then they lost out on Sam Leavitt and came back with that big number," Simpson told On3. "And then Ole Miss called again and said they could match it."

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Simpson said legacy was important to him, particularly being a team captain at Alabama.

"Everybody would just remember me as the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year, but I was a captain," Simpson said. "I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes. I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama."

In his first year as a starter, Simpson, 23, threw for 3,567 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions, helping the Crimson Tide make the College Football Playoff and win a first-round game against Oklahoma. Alabama lost 38-3 in the quarterfinals against Indiana. He ranks 30th overall in CBS Sports' 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and is the No. 3 quarterback, behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore.

Simpson, a redshirt junior this fall, got off to a strong start to the season and had thrown 21 touchdowns and just one interception through the Crimson Tide's first nine games. However, he struggled in Alabama's regular-season loss to Oklahoma in mid-November and threw two interceptions in a blowout win over FCS opponent Eastern Illinois the next week. He also completed fewer than half of his passes in an SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia.