In the world of NIL, when a college football coach gets hired, he has a lot of work to do, and that’s putting it mildly.

Kalen DeBoer was given the perceived impossible task to follow the legendary Nick Saban, a program he helped build for 17 seasons as the standard bearer of college football.

And it was up to him to uphold it.

One of the many tasks for DeBoer was to retain several key players, and convince them that his vision for the Crimson Tide is the right one.

One of the high priorities? Quarterback Ty Simpson.

The 2024 season was going to be just another lost season for Simpson, a former five-star recruit, as quarterback Jalen Milroe was planning on returning after helping the Tide win the SEC, and the College Football Playoffs.

“I knew Ty had a great spring,” Simpson’s father and UT-Martin head coach Jason said. “But I also knew the success that Jalen (Milroe) had the year before.”

So it presented some opportunity for Simpson. Does he take one of the several offers from other programs trying to poach him? Or does he wait yet another season so he can finally get his big break in Tuscaloosa?

That was a major question that Jason had when he spoke to DeBoer for the first time in the spring of 2024.

But as a coach himself, he understood the process.

“I wasn’t going to walk in there and say, ‘We’re gonna take our ball and go home.’ The first thing I said to him was, ‘I get it. I get it.’”

It was a comforting conversation, one of many that DeBoer had to have that spring.

But then once Simpson graduated in December, the two met once again, and this time Jason needed affirmation that his son wasn’t going to get hurdled by a transfer, a process that happens quite frequently these days in college football.

Indiana did it with Fernando Mendoza. Oklahoma did it with John Mateer. What makes Alabama different?

Paraphrased by Nick Kelly of AL.com, DeBoer told Jason “No, we’re not taking a transfer. Feel good about our quarterback room. Looking forward to seeing Ty grow.”

Just after a few sentences, a 1,000 pound boulder was lifted off the Simpson family’s shoulders. And it gave Ty the opportunity to start for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

After 10 weeks, it seems to be working out just fine. Simpson has completed 72% of his passes, throwing for 20 touchdowns and only one interception.

However, the job isn’t finished, and with LSU coming up in Week 11, it presents another opportunity to prove DeBoer right.