Alabama will always be one of Georgia's biggest competitors in the SEC. That will once again be the case this season as the Tide are one of three favorites (along with Georgia and Texas) receiving the most hype this offseason in the SEC.
Alabama has been in the middle of a QB competition this offseason, but Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb announced earlier this week that veteran Ty Simpson will be the Tide's starter this year.
Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb's opening statement:
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 12, 2025
"Hey guys. Ty Simpson is our starter."
Grubb credits Simpson's ability to protect the football as the key to winning the job. pic.twitter.com/x3xrsaDHxs
Alabama names starting QB for 2025 season
Simpson is a former five-star recruit who was the No. 4 quarterback in the country in the 2022 recruiting class. He originally committed to Alabama out of high school and has stuck with the program ever since even though he hasn't been able to win the starting job until this offseason.
In fact, Simpson has already lost two quarterback battles since arriving at Alabama before finally winning the competition this week. So that casts some doubt regarding how good the former five-star QB actually is.
Alabama and Georgia meet during week five of this season which will be the fourth game of the year for each team. This SEC showdown will be played at Georgia which will present a significant test for the Tide and their first year starter. This however will not be Simpson's first game as a starter on the road as Alabama opens their season at Florida State on Aug. 30. Alabama also hosts Wisconsin Sep. 13 as well, so Simpson will face some real challenges before heading to Athens.
Regardless, this news has a significant impact on Georgia and their SEC title hopes as the Tide are confident that Simpson can be their next great quarterback that leads Alabama back to the top of college football world. Georgia however will have every chance to prevent that from happening when the Tide come to town for the biggest game of the season in all of college football on Sep. 27.