Luckily, this now isn't something for Miami football fans and Mario Cristobal to worry about. However, last month people were stunned when news broke that Miami had put a mega-deal on the table for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson to enter the portal and sign with Miami.
Darian Mensah quote on his Miami plans will have fans ready to run through a wall
Could a similar move Carson Beck made have gone down? Instead of Simpson trading his Alabama jersey for a Miami one, he decided to stay in the NFL Draft in hopes of being a first-round pick. Simpson said he didn't want to 'tarnish' his legacy by signing with a different college program. He doubled down on those thoughts in a recent interview with AL.com.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson remains “absolutely” content that he stayed in #NFLdraft, turning down $4-6.5 million offers to transfer.
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) January 31, 2026
“The last thing I wanted to do was tarnish my legacy and go somewhere else” he told @aldotcom https://t.co/PavNqgFFtD
Ty Simpson remains happy with his decision to not enter the portal to sign with Miami
You can't really blame Simpson for this. On one hand, sure, it would have been nice to see him make plays for Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson next season. However, even we can respect his decision to just honor Bama like this.
At the same time, things ended up working out pretty great for the Canes, as stud quarterback Darian Mensah has signed with the program and he's ready to lead the offense out onto the field next season. Miami also bringing in fellow Duke transfer Cooper Barkate was the cherry on top.
After a dream CFP run that led to a trip to the title game, Miami is once again built to make serious noise next fall and winter. Mensah is already getting some preseason Heisman Trophy hype, as he's no question going to be one of the top QBs in the country.
As for Simpson, he's going to take his talents to the NFL, with the expectation that he'll be taken in the first round of April's draft. It will be a dream come true for him and he'll do so as a proud Alabama alum. Again, it would have been nice for him to play for Miami, but things worked out for the ACC powerhouse with Mensah heading to town.