TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ryan Grubb had one piece of advice for Alabama football starting quarterback Ty Simpson ahead of the Florida State game: "Just let it loose."
And Simpson didn't waste much time.
Starting the first game of his college football career as he entered his fourth season with Alabama football, Simpson found Josh Cuevas for an 2-yard score for the first touchdown pass of his career.
Heading into 2025, Simpson has less than 200 snaps to his name. On 50 career pass attempts, Simpson had 381 passing yards. He also had three rushing touchdowns on 22 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per touch.
Simpson won Alabama 's starting quarterback job to start the 2025 season over redshirt sophomore Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell .
"He said, 'You have done the training, you've done the preparation,'" Simpson said of Grubb. "'Now it's your time. This is your time to shine. You've waited. You've done the work. The work's paid off. Now it's time to show it.' What better chance to do it at a great stadium, at a great program with tradition and pride at the University of Alabama and Florida State ? So, I'm excited."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Ty Simpson throws his first Alabama football touchdown pass vs. FSU
