In a Hollywood coup that’s got Crimson Tide Nation buzzing louder than a fourth-quarter goal-line stand, the inspirational saga of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is officially headed to the silver screen, with Oscar-nominated director Ryan Coogler (“Creed,” “Black Panther”) attached to helm the project for Warner Bros., sources confirmed exclusively to The Athletic on Tuesday. Titled Roll Tide Rising, the untitled biopic—greenlit at a cool $65 million budget—chronicles Simpson’s improbable odyssey from a five-star recruit rotting on the pine to the 2025 Heisman frontrunner who’s catapulted the No. 4 Tide to an 8-2 SEC stranglehold, all while modeling his moxie after LSU legend Joe Burrow. “Ty’s story isn’t just football—it’s grit, doubt, and destiny,” Coogler said in a statement. “From that broken hand in high school to outdueling Jalen Milroe for the keys to the kingdom, he’s the underdog blueprint America needs.” Production kicks off in spring 2026, with Simpson, 22, serving as executive producer and eyeing a cameo.
Simpson’s arc reads like a scriptwriter’s fever dream: Born in Martin, Tenn., the coach’s son—dad Jason helms UT Martin—Ty exploded as Westview High’s dual-threat dynamo, slinging 2,827 yards and 41 TDs en route to a 2A state title and Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year honors. A five-star prize (No. 29 nationally per 247Sports), he spurned Clemson and Ole Miss for Saban’s shadow in Tuscaloosa, enrolling early in ‘22 amid Bryce Young’s Heisman haze. But the wait? Agonizing. Redshirt freshman glimpses in mop-up duty (four games, one completion) gave way to a true frosh bench exile behind Young and Milroe, fueling whispers of the portal. “I questioned everything—why Alabama if I’m invisible?” Simpson confessed in a 2024 Players’ Tribune piece. Then came the gift and curse: a sophomore hand fracture that forced a medical redshirt, but unlocked offseason alchemy with QB guru Nick Sheridan, honing his 6-foot-6 frame into a pocket ninja with Burrow’s poise and Lamar Jackson’s wheels.
The 2025 breakout? Cinematic gold. Named starter August 11 after Milroe’s transfer portal flight to Oregon, Simpson torched Utah State for 189 yards in the opener, then authored masterpieces: a 340-yard clinic vs. Vanderbilt (Week 6), a fourth-quarter dagger drive to stun No. 3 Georgia 24-21 in Athens (his film now Texas’ Arch Manning playbook), and a 21-of-35 gem in a 31-28 thriller over LSU, where he zipped lasers under duress that had Shane Beamer texting dad Jason mid-film: “Kid’s throws are NFL art.” Through 10 games, Simpson’s ledger dazzles—3,212 yards, 28 TDs, six picks, 412 rushing yards—vaulting Alabama to a projected Peach Bowl CFP semis path, with Heisman odds at +250 (second to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza). “Joe Burrow’s my blueprint—coach’s kid who waited, then exploded,” Simpson told SI, nodding his LSU idol while weaving in Baker Mayfield’s bite and Stafford’s steel. Coogler, a Bama alum via his “Fruitvale Station” roots, zeroed in post-LSU: “Ty’s not just stats; he’s soul—resilient like that highlight reel with the club hand in high school.”
The film’s genesis traces to Simpson’s viral 2024 docuseries pitch during NIL negotiations—a $2 million Dr Pepper deal that funded his “Simpson Scholars” youth camp in Martin—catching Coogler’s eye at a USC screening. Warner Bros. fast-tracked after Simpson’s Georgia gut-punch, where a 43-yard scramble on third-and-12 flipped the script, echoing his dad’s ethos: “Play hurt, play smart.” Casting buzz? Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”) as young Ty, with Glen Powell circling the Jason role and cameos from Saban (growl intact) and Burrow (consultant). “This ain’t hagiography—it’s raw: the bench blues, the Milroe mentorship turned rivalry, the Heisman heat,” Coogler teased. Alabama AD Greg Byrne, fresh off that veteran fan fiasco, hailed it: “Ty embodies Tide toughness—now the world’s seeing it on IMAX.”
Social media’s ablaze like a Bryant-Denny night game, with #TyToTheScreen trending nationwide (1.7 million mentions), fans splicing Simpson’s LSU lasers over Remember the Titans montages. Teammates chime in: Ryan Williams posted “QB1 to the big leagues—proud, bro,” while Milroe, now Ducks’ deputy, quipped, “Bama stole my spotlight; Hollywood steals Ty’s? Fair.” Rivals salt it up—LSU’s Brian Kelly: “Burrow 2.0? We’ll see in the rematch”—but Bama boosters flood the GoFundMe for Simpson’s camp, pushing past $500K. For Ty, it’s full circle: from “gift and curse” waits to Walk of Fame whispers, all while chasing a natty and that stiff-arm trophy. “Film? Cool. But the real story’s unfinished—ring first,” he grinned post-Auburn prep.
As Roll Tide Rising rolls cameras amid Alabama’s Iron Bowl Iron sharpens iron, Ty Simpson’s tale transcends Tuscaloosa: proof that the longest waits yield the loudest roars. From Westview fields to Warner lots, the kid who broke his hand but not his will is scripting sequels. Roll Tide—now, lights up.
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