Alabama football: Ty Simpson goes all-in for Kalen DeBoer this fall

Happy Friday everyone. The Gym Tide saw their season end last night at Nationals, which was expected. We congratulate them on their place in the top 8 at national level. Baseball plays newly ranked Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa this weekend, while softball travels to Arkansas.

Ty Simpson's father says his son is completely involved with the Tide.

Jason Simpson, the head coach at UT Martin, gave a definitive yes when asked if Simpson would be there when the season started in August.

He told Coach [Kalen] DeBoer, I want to be part of your first national championship team, Jason said. Ty has many friends on campus and on the team. He is entrenched there and will graduate in December. So in my opinion it was a very easy decision to stay and keep going, keep going.

Like a five-star prospect with a 247-sport first-round projection, Ty has always had a lot of potential. He had the best numbers in the pack on A Day, so let's see what happens in the fall. DeBoer is happy with the room as a whole.

“I know you always know exactly who the starter is, but there is some great talent there,” DeBoer said. I can't express the appreciation they have for just believing in our process and believing in what we were doing. You can see that from the beginning of the spring, all these guys improved and became more comfortable on offense. Improvement doesn't mean they are perfect. There's a throw here, a throw there, a read, you can see it in the spring game, I've seen it in the scrimmages, but man, they're all in there.

They dive into the script and believe in the development they will experience in this program. Nick Sheridan has done a great job, I think, of really trying to continue to promote competition among the group, but also those guys, it's really cool to see their relationship and their trust in each other, their belief in each other. And those friendships continue to grow. So he's done a great job, not only with the offense, but with the quarterback room.

Kalen also spoke about the needs of the portal.

As he did before Saturday's A-Day game, DeBoer said the Tide will continue to be on the lookout for offensive linemen and defensive backs.

“We still have a few scholarships open, so you're just looking for the right guys to fit in with you,” DeBoer said. I want to be very sensitive to the culture of our team and you don't want to bring one in and lose two or three because of the way that comes across and how it's perceived. But if it's someone who can really help our program, then you always have your eyes open and you're paying attention.

Speaking of the portal, Alabama has seen five players from last year's team enter the portal, and Nate Oats has a few spots open.

A rim protector and point protector are two of the top goals. Alabama needs depth at point guard regardless of what Sears decides.

Former Auburn guard Aden Holloway is the top name to watch right now. He visits Tuscaloosa on Thursday and if that visit goes well, a decision could be made soon.

As far as a rim protector goes, Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi would be a great signing. He is the fourth best player available in the transfer portal as of Wednesday according to 247Sports, and he mentioned the Crimson Tide as one of the teams he is interested in playing for. However, there is plenty of competition for Omoruyis' services.

It makes you wonder if Holloway or another point guard prospect will want to commit before the deadline for Mark Sears to withdraw from the NBA Draft. Schedule management is a mess these days.

Finally, it's about to be a big recruiting weekend.

Coach Mo is great, Lee said. He is very experienced and has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys. I spent a lot of time with him and it was great to get to know him better and I developed a very strong relationship there.

He has a keen interest in Alabama.

All I can say is it's just different there, Lee said. Everything about this place is different from anywhere I've been before. The tradition and all the national championships they have are crazy and they have inducted more players into the League (NFL) than anyone else.

The No. 2 prospect in California has also made two trips to Georgia since late March. He will make his official visits to Washington (May 31), Georgia (June 14) and Alabama (June 21).

That's it for today. Nice weekend.

Roll tide.