Alabama’s one-year starter turned down unprecedented $6.5 million transfer offers from Miami, Ole Miss and Tennessee to keep his NFL dream—and Crimson Tide legacy—intact.
Inside the Bidding War
Less than 48 hours after Alabama fell in the College Football Playoff, Ty Simpson’s phone lit up with offers that would reset the transfer-portal economy. Miami opened at $4 million, Tennessee matched, then Ole Miss jumped in at the same figure. When the Hurricanes missed on Sam Leavitt, they returned with $6.5 million—On3 reports Ole Miss immediately pledged to equal it.
Simpson never countered. Instead he informed new coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb that he would enter the 2026 NFL Draft, allowing them to finalize their 2026 roster before the mid-January portal close.
Legacy Over Loot
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound captain feared becoming “the guy who took the money.” His exact words:
“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. I put my hand and footprints in the cement at Denny Chimes. I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama.”
That legacy includes 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 2025—numbers compiled after waiting two seasons behind Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe.
Market Context: How Historic Was the Offer?
- $6.5 million would have topped every known 2026 portal contract, eclipsing Brendan Sorsby’s $5 million deal with Texas Tech.
- Miami paid Carson Beck $4 million last cycle; Beck just piloted the Hurricanes to Monday’s national-title game against Indiana.
- The SEC’s new $1.3-billion annual media rights haul makes eight-figure recruiting budgets plausible, pushing quarterback prices into MLB free-agent territory.
Fallout for the Suitors
Miami: With Beck out of eligibility, the Canes will turn to either freshman Emory Williams or re-enter the portal before the Jan. 16 deadline.
Ole Miss: The Rebels await a court ruling on a sixth-year waiver for Trinidad Chambliss after the NCAA denied his initial petition. Backup Austin Simmons already transferred to Missouri.
Tennessee: Joey Aguilar is pursuing a seventh season—an even steeper uphill legal climb—leaving the Vols dangerously thin if the waiver fails.
LSU: The Tigers pivoted quickly, landing Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt on Monday, effectively ending their Simpson pursuit.
Draft Stock Snapshot
Simpson projects as a possible first-rounder in a class that could thin further if Oregon’s Dante Moore returns to Eugene. His 63.4 completion percentage, 7.5 yards-per-attempt average and 28-to-5 TD-to-INT ratio check every box NFL scouts want from a one-year starter in the SEC.
What It Means
The episode underscores three realities:
- Quarterback inflation is accelerating faster than the broader NIL market.
- Players increasingly weigh brand identity against immediate cash, a calculation previous transfer cycles rarely demanded.
- Coaches must now budget for “portal shock”—the risk of a seven-figure counter-offer hijacking a depth chart overnight.
By choosing the draft, Simpson protects both his Crimson Tide narrative and his long-term earning power. If he hears his name in Round 1 next spring, the $6.5 million he declined will look like a signing bonus he simply collected a few months later.
Stay locked on onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, most authoritative breakdown of every draft decision and transfer bombshell before the portal slams shut.
