Why Ty Simpson turned down big transfer money to enter NFL Draft

Former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is something of a throwback in college football. At least in the sense of what matters to him. It is clearly not money, and that is a big reason why he is not playing for another college football team in 2026 that is not the Crimson Tide.

Ty Simpson turned down big NIL money to enter NFL Draft

Simpson officially declared for the NFL Draft on Jan. 7 and was initially rated as the No. 3 quarterback in the class. He has since gone to No. 2 after Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore decided to return to school.

If Simpson had made the same choice, he could have landed big money in the transfer portal, with his dad telling ESPN that Miami, Tennessee, Oregon (before Moore’s return) and other Power Four schools were interested in signing him if he entered the transfer portal. 

Those offers reportedly ranged from between $4 million to $6.5 million.

Depending on where Simpson goes in the draft, that could be comparable money to what he will make in the NFL. While he is expected to be a mid-first-round pick, there is no guarantee he actually goes in the first round. Even in a weak quarterback class. 

So why did he reject the money? Because he had no interest in playing for a college football program that was not Alabama.

He told AL.com he wants to be announced from the University of Alabama when his name is called. 

“The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else where I didn’t go out of high school, and I didn’t want to play,” he said. “…Hopefully, in the draft, whenever my name gets written on a card, they write the University of Alabama on there. It’s going to give me great pride.”

That is simply not what we are used to seeing in the modern college football landscape. The NIL money is often so good that it actually keeps players from wanting to go pro. It turns college football rosters into a constantly revolving door where players never stay in a spot for more than a season. 

Simpson simply wanted to be an Alabama football player, and no amount of money was going to change that.

That is the sort of thing that NFL teams will mark highly on the “makeup” scale when it comes to evaluating him. It might not mean anything for his play on the field — which is still up for debate, as his upside — but it will certainly make people like him. It will also earn him points in the eyes of Alabama fans and college football fans who do not care for the transfer portal and NIL era of the sport.