Auburn football: Ty Simpson-Bama commitment increases Class of ’22 urgency

Ty Simpson was originally ticketed to face Auburn football once a year in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, but now, he will be one of the annual antagonists from Alabama during the Iron Bowl after announcing his commitment to the Crimson Tide earlier today.

The 5-star stud from Martin, Tennessee was heavily recruited by Nick Saban and has seemingly drank the Tuscaloosa kool-aid, gushing about the 2020 National Championship coach to CBSSports HQ:

"“Playing for the guy who’s won seven national championships and being close to home, playing for a guy who can develop players,” Simpson said regarding his reasons for picking the Tide. “It’s very exciting to play with the best, be coached by the best and developed to be NFL ready.”"

Needless to say, Simpson’s signing with Alabama is the sort of kick in the rear the Auburn football program could use amidst a critical signing period that has already seen offensive linemen get recruited out of high school in a refreshing change for recruitment.

The Tigers weren’t in on Simpson like they were fellow Class of 2022 QB Gunner Stockton earlier this year (he actually landed with Georgia), but following a National Signing Day that saw most praise the Tide as big winners, this latest victory should have new head coach Bryan Harsin scrambling for ways to counter with a headline-grabbing acquisition himself.

The recent transfer signing of Dreshun Miller out of West Virginia strengthens the secondary in the short-term, but the loss of 3-star cornerback Brian Dilworth takes the shine away from what has been a successful week of recruitment for an Auburn football staff that landed several Auburn high recruits and a Power 5 transfer.

Harsin and his staff are building something on the Plains, but they need to respond quickly because Alabama is controlling the narrative right now in the SEC.