Simpson Draws Comparisons Between Saban and Smart Defenses

Ty Simpson squared off against one of the toughest defenses in the country for two years as a backup quarterback at Alabama, going against former head coach Nick Saban's defense every day in practice for two seasons.

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Now, Simpson will face the protégé, Kirby Smart, for the first time as a starting quarterback. He told the media on Tuesday that he sees a lot of similarities between Nick Saban's defense and Kirby Smart's defense.

"Very, very similar," Ty Simpson said. "I’ve been going against Coach Saban’s defenses for two years… literally, I feel like I’ve seen everything in the book from that guy."

It makes sense that defenses would have a lot of similarities, with Kirby Smart commanding Nick Saban's defenses for eight seasons in Tuscaloosa. Additionally, every defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart at Georgia (Mel Tucker, Dan Lanning, and Glenn Schumann) coached at some point under Nick Saban at Alabama. However, Simpson understands that it won't be a carbon copy of what Saban ran at Alabama during his two-year crossover under Nick Saban.

"I know Kirby, and Coach Schuman, and T-Rob is over there- lots of respect for those guys, and they throw their own twists on everything over there. You gotta understand, right, I’m not going against Coach Saban. I’m going against Kirby and Coach Schuman and those guys and those players.”

Georgia's defense is currently ranked No. 39 in total defense, ninth in first-down defense, 23rd in third-down defense, sixth in redzone defense, and 39th in scoring defense. While it may not be the stout Georgia defenses of the early 2020s, when Georgia won back-to-back national titles, it will still be the biggest test Ty Simpson will face in his Alabama career thus far.

Alabama will travel to Athens, Georgia, this Saturday to take on the Bulldogs. Kick off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.