Ty Simpson didn't hurt Indiana's feelings, he exposed Alabama's flaws
Ty Simpson didn't hurt Indiana's feelings, he exposed Alabama's flaws
Matt Hayes, USA TODAY Wed, April 22, 2026 at 12:01 PM UTC
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Ty Simpson didn't hurt Indiana's feelings, he exposed Alabama's flaws
Before we jump into whose feelings are hurt and who’s acting like a petulant child, let’s start with some intellectually honesty, shall we?
Ty Simpson wasn’t praising the Indiana defense when excerpts from a podcast with former teammate Caleb Downs showed him proclaiming Alabama “knew exactly” what Indiana was doing defensively.
That’s right, every single play of a 38-3 loss to the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Rose Bowl quarterfinal — the worst bowl loss in the storied history of Alabama football — was right there in the Crimson Tide game plan.
Knew it all, yet the Indiana defense was just too good despite Alabama knowing where they’d be. And could only mange three lousy points.
If you believe that, you must follow it down the road to an undeniable question: What does that Rose Bowl scenario say about the current Alabama coaching staff?
“From my point of view, I was like, they don’t do much,” Simpson said on the podcast. “They do the same thing every down. They just don’t mess up, bro.”
OK, let’s stop this nonsense right here.
If Team A knows what Team B is doing every single play, there are two logical deductions: Team A should have been able to adjust and find a way to counteract Team B, or Team B’s players are far and away better than Team A’s ― leaving Team A utterly helpless.
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Either answer is frighteningly scary for all things Houndstooth.
Because if Indiana, long the armpit of college football, rebooted in just two seasons under coach Curt Cignetti and had significantly better players than big, bad Alabama, oh boy, somebody made a massively bad hire to follow the great Nick Saban.
And if Alabama couldn’t adjust to what the Indiana defense was doing — despite knowing where they would be every single play — then someone is really in over his head as the guy who replaced the greatest coach in the history of college football.
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Again, two dangerous truths for the Tide faithful.
Now, let’s return to whose feelings are hurt and who’s acting like a petulant child — because it’s not Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and his response after he and his players were insulted.
It’s Simpson. But why?
Why would Simpson, a borderline first round pick in this week’s NFL Draft, direct the spotlight back to one of his failures in his only season as a starter? And then make a point to say he didn’t play the whole game — even though it was 24-0 when he left the game in the third quarter with cracked ribs.
There’s a reason Simpson was throwing shade at Indiana with his former teammate at Alabama (Downs), who just happened to lose to the same Indiana team two weeks before the Tide did, as a star safety at Ohio State.
It may have something to do with Alabama’s two games against the best defenses it faced all season (Georgia, Indiana), where Simpson had one touchdown, two turnovers (one fumble) and averaged a measly five yards per attempt. The Tide were outscored 52-7 with Simpson on the field, and those two games ― your tape is your resume ― are part of the critical evaluation eye of NFL personnel.
Or maybe Alabama knew everything Georgia was doing, too.
“They were so well-coached,” Simpson said of Indiana.
A throwaway, backhanded compliment if there ever was one.
Because you can’t say we knew what they were doing and they were well-coached in the same sentence — without exposing either of the two previous undeniable deductions. Heaven help the good folks of Tuscaloosa if Indiana not only had better coaches, but had better players, too.
And whaddya know, we’re all the way back to the hurt feelings and petulant children.
All it took was a little intellectual honesty.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ty Simpson beef with Indiana exposed Alabama problems under Kalen DeBoer
Source: “AOL Sports”
