I had to look up the word legacy in the dictionary after seeing how former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson used it during his time at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this weekend.
Discussing whether he thought of transferring to another school when he was a backup and then with the chance after his one season as the Crimson Tide starting quarterback, Simpson had an unusual way of explaining why he stayed in Tuscaloosa.
"The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else where I didn't go out of high school and I didn't want to play," he said.
First, I’m not knocking on what Simpson accomplished and his loyalty to Alabama. In college football today, there are very few like him who would have waited three years behind other quarterbacks, clamoring for their turn to finally be the leader of the Tide’s offense. And, when he got the chance, Simpson was good, throwing for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Ty Simpson overblows his legacy in Alabama program
Respectful? Yes. Leaving a legacy? Absolutely not.
This is Alabama we are talking about, not a school that is just happy to win a bowl game every now and then. When you discuss Crimson Tide legacies, you throw up names like Shaun Alexander, DeVonta Smith, Derrick Henry, and many others who made a massive impact on the program and whose names will be forever linked to the Alabama brand.
Going 11-4 and getting absolutely demolished by Indiana is not exactly leaving a legacy that many Roll Tide Willies will want to remember for a long period of time.
But kudos to Simpson, who is certainly a talented quarterback who could be a productive signal-caller in the NFL. He deserves it, but wondering about your “legacy” in Tuscaloosa is a little much.