Rivals100 QB Ty Simpson Breaks Down Notre Dame Offer, Timeline
Notre Dame has been looking at Martin (Tenn.) Westview class of 2022 quarterback Ty Simpson for quite some time, and the Fighting Irish staff pulled the trigger with an offer Jan. 22.
Since Notre Dame’s football season ended, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees has shifted more of his focus to the recruiting trail and got in contact with Simpson.
“He was asking, ‘How are you and what’s your interest level in Notre Dame?’ I’ve always had a high interest level in Notre Dame,” Simpson said. “He told me, ‘Sorry that we’re offering so late, but I wanted to get a good feel for our offense and I knew we had a chance to be really good this year and wanted to give my all to the offense.’
“I understood that as a coach’s son; I had no problem with it at all. I’m fortunate to be recruited by them.”
Simpson, who is ranked by Rivals as the nation’s No. 3 pro-style quarterback and No. 36 overall prospect, holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and many others. His first offer came from Michigan in March 2018, so his recruitment kicked off quite some time ago.
But the Irish are making up for some lost time and had a Zoom call with the four-star passer on Tuesday and plan to have more calls in the near future.
“They were going through the Notre Dame name, how many people know what the Notre Dame logo is and what going there can do for you after football,” Simpson said of the Zoom call. “When you think of college football, you think of Notre Dame and their helmets.
“It’s really crazy thinking to yourself that you have an opportunity to play some of the best college football and get one of the best degrees in the world. If football doesn’t work out, having a good degree to get a good job is very important to me.”
Simpson said in a December interview with TigerIllustrated.com that he was nearing a January decision date, but with coaching changes at various schools he’s considering and the ongoing dead period, he hasn’t locked in a commitment time frame yet.
“I’m not sure quite yet because a lot is still going around with coaches,” Simpson explained. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to get on campuses.
“If I do decide to do it soon, I’ll make an announcement on Twitter saying that I’m making an announcement on a particular date or something like that.”
Simpson has visited a handful of programs since his recruiting process did kick off so early, but he would like to check out a couple more schools before making a decision, if possible.
“I’d love to visit Texas and Notre Dame,” he said. “Doing these Zooms has helped me see the campus and the culture of Notre Dame.”
The 2022 All-American Bowl commit named a top 10 of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Texas and Texas A&M in December. Simpson’s father, Jason, is the head coach at UT-Martin.
Simpson is the third quarterback recruit in the 2022 class, joining Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Steve Angeli and Owensboro (Ky.) High’s Gavin Wimsatt. Angeli and Wimsatt were offered by the Irish in August 2020.
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