Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who announced last week that he is entering the 2026 NFL Draft, was still heavily pursued recently by quarterback-needy college football teams with multi-million dollar offers in hopes that he would stay in school and enter the transfer portal, according to his agent.
Peter Webb, an agent at the sports marketing agency QB Reps who represents Simpson, told The Athletic on Tuesday that Simpson turned down lucrative offers to turn pro.
Webb declined to get into specifics about offers from other schools but said that Simpson cherished playing at Alabama and didn’t want to play college ball elsewhere.
“In a time where kids transfer for more money at every possible turn and make it a transactional decision based on finances, Ty is a unicorn and took the road less traveled,” Webb said. “What started at low-to-mid seven-figure proposals quickly looked like we could maybe even approach eight figures at the finish line.
“But Ty ultimately wanted to chase his dreams of playing in the NFL and make sure the last college jersey he ever wore had the iconic Alabama Crimson Tide logo.”
Simpson, who led Alabama to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in his lone season as the starting quarterback, could potentially be a first-round pick in a thin quarterback class. Simpson was projected as a late first-rounder in The Athletic’s recent NFL mock draft.
Still, when the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2, there was plenty of speculation about whether Simpson would receive a big enough offer to entice him to stay in college and transfer, even after his draft declaration five days later.
On3, in an interview with Simpson on Tuesday, reported that Simpson fielded offers between $4 million and $6.5 million. The On3 report claimed Miami, Ole Miss and Tennessee all made initial offers of $4 million. The Vols pushed their offer to as much as $5 million, and Miami topped out its offer at $6.5 million.
“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.”
Simpson told the outlet that he “had a knot in his stomach” and “didn’t know what to do,” but consulted his parents. He also said he spoke to former Alabama coach Nick Saban after the quarterfinal loss to Indiana, and Saban advised him to take money out of the decision and to ask himself what he’d want to do if money weren’t a factor.
Simpson also told On3 that he never made $1 million in NIL money in a season at Alabama. The Tuscaloosa News, citing a source, reported earlier this week that Simpson’s base compensation in 2025 was $400,000 but doubled to $800,000 with incentives.
Simpson’s decision to turn pro appears set in stone. He officially filed the necessary paperwork on Tuesday for early entry into the NFL Draft, Webb confirmed. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2026 draft is Wednesday. In past years, prospects who declared early had up to 72 hours past the declaration deadline to withdraw their name, but Simpson appears to be set on playing next season in the NFL.
The transfer portal closes on Friday for all FBS players except those at Indiana and Miami, who are meeting in the national championship game on Monday. Players on those teams will have until Jan. 24 to enter the portal.
Regarding Simpson, Webb said, “His time at Alabama playing for Coach Saban and those fans and that state meant the world to him and something he will cherish forever.”
Simpson, 23, was a five-star recruit in Alabama’s 2022 signing class, the penultimate class Saban signed before retiring. He appeared in 16 games as a reserve quarterback in his first three seasons in Tuscaloosa before taking over as the starter as a redshirt junior.
In the 2025 season, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 64.5 percent of passes for the 11-4 Crimson Tide.
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