Everything Alabama OC Ryan Grubb said about new starting QB Ty Simpson

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke to reporters one day after the Crimson Tide named Ty Simpson as its starting quarterback. Below is everything that the play-caller said about Simpson and more after Alabama’s 11th preseason practice.

Grubb’s opening statement…

“I didn’t know about the opening statement. Hey guys, Ty Simpson’s our starter. How’s that? Pretty good?”

Grubb on why Ty Simpson was named the starter…

“Good follow-up. Ty did a really nice job of taking care of the football, number one. I think Ty is an incredible playmaker on the move, and I think from there, guys like that just, you worry about whether they’re going to be able to train themselves to take care of the football. In the room, in general Ty led that charge. Ty didn’t throw any picks last week, he’s thrown one all camp. We’ve thrown like four total this camp and this spring I think at this time we’d thrown like 15. I think in general guys are seeing the concepts and controlling the offense a lot better as a room, and Ty was the best at that. His ability to command and create out of the pocket I thought was the best. He’s made great decisions. He’s just much cleaner on some of the things you expect an older quarterback to do.”

Grubb on if the quarterbacks are pushing the ball down the field…

“Yeah, we are. Absolutely. I don’t know what today was but we’ve had six practices in a row where we’ve hit our explosive play number. We’ve certainly been able to get the ball down the field, which is great because our defense does a good job of trying to limit those. That’s a lot better, I don’t know if we had five days of that all of spring. Six in a row, I think we’ve had eight out of 10 practices, so we’re rolling a little bit.”

Grubb on his message to Austin Mack and Keelon Russell…

“I think for those guys — not I think, I know, they have to continue to progress. For quarterbacks in general, any position is tough but the development of a quarterback to continue to move forward during a season is the toughest thing. That’s the thing, you have to find ways to generate both coaching staff-wise to create looks and opportunities so those guys don’t just pause. Young quarterbacks that are really talented like Austin and Keelon, what we don’t want is that the starter is named and all this improvement that they’ve been making to this point just comes to a screeching halt. That part, they totally understood.

“I know they’re up to the task, and I think a huge part of that is the relationships, the bond that’s been built in that room. I told the guys, I thought one of the things that stood out to be the most about that room was that there never was this feeling of somebody conceding. So like, ‘Oh, Ty’s gonna be the guy.’ There was never an approach by any of the three guys that it was like, it’s him or him. At the same time, it was all organic. Guys were able to focus on their job and just be the best quarterback they can be. I think they all developed because of the type of room that we have. Tip of the cap to those guys, I don’t think that’s coaching, I think that’s just guys doing a really good job of focusing on themselves. I think Austin and Keelon will be up to that.”

Grubb on if he’s decided on a No. 2 quarterback…

“No. We’re still working through all that. I think you’d be pigeonholing yourself a little bit on reps and opportunity for both of those guys to get better.”

Grubb on his message to Simpson after naming him the starter…

“Don’t change anything. We’ve still got a lot of stuff to clean up. Remember what got you the job. The things that you were challenged to improve on after spring and what you did do to this point in camp. Nothing has to change. I think you just have to keep improving on the things he knows he has to work on. This is just, it’s an announcement. It’s a starting point. If you have any kind of finality to this announcement, whether you’re a backup or the starter, they’ll rob themselves of some really good opportunities.”

Grubb on how the team reacted to Simpson being named the starter…

“Supportive. I think the guys have been supportive of all three guys, but Ty has shown the most leadership and command. I don’t think anybody was caught off guard by that. I thought we did a good job as the coaching staff, not trying to pat ourselves on the back, but try to let it play its course, make sure the team saw Ty earn it. I think that’s important for Ty, too, that he can come out there, that his teammates know he went out there and earned that spot. They’ve been great, offense and defense.”

Grubb on Simpson’s leadership…

“Ty is pretty fiery. He’s a pretty fiery guy. I’ve really been impressed how he’s been able to kind of calm that. I always thought I was wildly impressed in my time with Geno Smith. He’s a fiery competitor as well. But I always told Ty, Geno’s ability to get back to room temperature quickly and be able to process and be an elite quarterback was something that I was just always amazed by. I told Ty that’s what you’ve got to be. A guy who can have composure and realize there’s different times and release points. If you score a touchdown and want to go crazy, go crazy. But up until then, you’ve got to just be a smooth operator.”

Grubb on where Simpson has grown…

“Poise and decision making. His eyes would drop and he would give up on stuff really, really quickly because he is so athletic and can move. Now I just feel like he’s very poised back there. I think anytime you have a guy who can balance those two things, can be an explosive athlete out of the pocket but also know he doesn’t have to do it every time, I think that’s the thing you love to see out of a guy like Ty.”

Grubb on Keelon Russell’s approach to pressure…

“Coach Sheridan and Coach DeBoer did a phenomenal job recruiting him. I thought their assessment when I got here was spot on. Very composed player for a young player. Even when it’s not perfect and things aren’t going his way, I think he’s able to just slow the game down. I think that’s something that is somewhat innate that he can just do. I think when you can build and you continue to build on the knowledge base and understanding of the system, he’ll just keep getting better. He’s a really, really calm excellent player with great vision.”

Grubb on how Simpson has been in the quick/underneath game…

“Today specifically, I thought we had some sequencing stuff where we’re lining up in second-and-extra long or second-and-long and trying to get a first down with three downs. And quick game showed up in those scenarios, and he hit every one of them. So I was really impressed with just his ability to get the ball out, make decisive decisions, have his eyes in the right spot. A lot of times, the quick game just comes down to that and being decisive and making sure you’re reading the right spot.”

Grubb on what Simpson can do as a leader moving forward…

“Just keep being him, honestly. I think if he started acting out of character or doing some things that he hadn’t done to this point, I think that would be the red flag for the team, for the guys. I think that he’s established the type of person he is in the locker room. He’s known these guys for a long time. Just keep being himself. My advice to him was, just be authentic. As long as he does that, the locker room has the best read for that, they know when guys aren’t, and just stay in the wheelhouse.”

Grubb on how Simpson, who wasn’t recruited by this staff, earned their trust…

“That’s a good question, and I’ll say this — one of my main messages to Ty was that he did earn it. I thought that he was a little bit careless with the football, and that was something that I wanted to make sure that, as a decision maker, you know, with a good team and a lot of great supporting cast around him, I just want to make sure he can distribute the ball. And I thought for him, calming the game down, slowing it down, and being authentic in the meeting room — not trying to say things to impress a coach, or like say something to show that you understand the coverage, asking genuine questions. Just being in the meeting room with him every day, I trust him in that regard, and I think that was a huge part of our growth.”

Grubb on why Monday was the right time to name Simpson as the starter…

“I really felt like he had showed enough through camp to be the dominant player in the room. I felt like it was the best thing for the team just to move forward and get the guys going and give some establishment to that position so the team can get behind them.”

Grubb on what’s the common thread he likes to see in starting QBs…

“Decision making and vision. Those are the two things. And for Ty, that’s the thing. He’s got good vision, and his decision making as gone off the charts compared to what it was. If he just keeps doing that and being himself, he’ll be a really, really good quarterback.”

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