Clemson’s top QB target for 2022 sets new date for college commitment
The winter storm that has moved across the country is doing a number in northwest Tennessee. As a result, Clemson quarterback target Ty Simpson said Monday that he will delay his commitment announcement from this Friday to 3 p.m. Feb. 26. Simpson will make the announcement at his school and have it streamed via CBS Sports HQ.
Clemson has made Simpson (6-2, 185) its No. 1 quarterback target for the 2022 class, but the competition of Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Ole Miss has made it impossible for the outside world to make a call on what Simpson will do. Through the recruiting process, the four-star prospect has given reasons why he might choose any one of these programs.
“Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Texas are a big part of my recruitment right now just because of the SEC and getting the best out of me and my abilities, the coaching staff and the relationships,” Simpson said in a radio interview with 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. “Those are my top schools. I’m just praying to God that I have (six) schools that if I came there, I would have a heck of a time if I went there.”
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter have been very active in recruiting Simpson. They also enlisted the help of a not-so-secret weapon in former quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“He (Lawrence) actually called me one time,” Simpson told 104.5 The Zone. “It was a Georgia number and I thought it was a spam call, but all of a sudden it was, ‘Hey Ty, it’s Trevor Lawrence,’ and I was like, ‘Holy crap, I’m talking to the future No. 1 overall pick.’ It was really cool. I asked him ‘Why did he go to Clemson’ and ‘Why didn’t you stay in the SEC?’ and ‘How was your walk with Christ there?’ I told him I appreciate what he does from his platform showing kids like my brother, who is a die-hard Clemson fan, how a quarterback should act. I just appreciate him and he gave me some good advice — some things I didn’t realize, so it was cool to talk to him.”
Simpson is the son of a coach. His dad is the head coach at UT-Martin. He’s considered the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat QB for the 2022 class, and has a solid background in the game and in the fundamentals of playing the quarterback position.
“The best part of my game would be my off-platform throws and my escape ability. I’m a baseball guy,” he said in the radio interview. “I thought I would actually play baseball in college instead of football. That was my first love. Growing up I always thought it would be cool to play college baseball at Ole Miss or Mississippi State, where my dad played. Being able to throw sidearm like (Patrick) Mahomes is really cool. My athletic ability, being able to escape from pressure, I think that’s a big part of quarterbacks evolving right now. Being able to escape and make plays on the run.”
If Clemson doesn’t land Simpson, the Tigers likely will turn to Cade Klubnik of Austin, Texas. He has not yet been offered by Clemson but has received a lot of contact from Streeter. He confirmed Sunday night the Tigers have stayed in touch.