MARTIN, Tenn. — Before a young Ty Simpson could join the radio show or play pinball, he always had other business to handle.

Pizza, and the buffet, awaited.

“That was the most important thing,” said Chris Brinkley, the longtime voice of University of Tennessee at Martin sports.

Brinkley co-hosted the Skyhawks’ weekly radio show, which Ty attended almost every Monday night while his dad, Jason Simpson, headlined as UT Martin’s coach. But Ty often grabbed airtime too.

“Ty would always just say what he thought,” Brinkley said.

Those early broadcast experiences helped prepare Ty for what was to come. The Martin, native grew into a five-star quarterback in high school who eventually became Alabama’s starter in 2025. He has taken part in many interviews and speaking opportunities since, but none will have been as big as the speech that could await him a month from now at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

“He was extremely articulate,” Brinkley said. “I feel like his dad is very articulate. His dad has always been one of my favorite interviews because I think there’s some transparency there. He’s a good communicator and he’s honest. I think Ty even got a little bit of that from his dad, even at a young age.”

Ty made his radio debut around age 5 or 6, Brinkley estimated. Sometimes, Ty also helped test out equipment, completing sound checks for Brinkley at the now-closed Snappy Tomato Pizza.

Once the show started, Ty usually made his way to the pinball machine, about 10 feet away from the stage. He often begged his mom, Julie Simpson, for quarters.

“Ty was extremely competitive with that pinball machine,” Brinkley said.

Occasionally, Ty became the star on the show. That included one interview from 14 years ago when he was 8. Thanks to YouTube, it still exists.

He talked of his aspirations of playing running back and quarterback. Ty shared he likes watching “the good teams” in the SEC and Big Ten: LSU, Aubren (that’s how he pronounced it), Alabama and Mississippi State. He mentioned the teams in that order. Ty also recalled meeting Peyton Manning at Neyland Stadium in 2010.

“My nana actually spotted him out,” Ty said.

“She knew that was Peyton Manning?” Brinkley said.

“Yeah. The policeman took me over there,” Ty said. “This is the question that I asked: How is it like to play against your brother?”

“You asked Peyton what it was like to play against Eli?” Brinkley said. “And what did he say?”

“He said it was real tough and hard,” Ty said, “but every time you play a game, you’ve got to go hard.”

Then Brinkley asked Ty about his siblings, his younger sister Emma and his younger brother Graham.

“Well, my brother,” Ty said, smiling, “he sometimes gets in trouble because he made a big mark about that wide for biting me on the back.”

At that point, Graham would have been about 2. Today, Graham’s a sophomore quarterback recruit at Westview High School with offers from Ole Miss, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, Auburn and more.

“The cool thing about my brother and sister, we both love ‘em,” Ty said. “My brother, he can throw a football about 10 yards.”

Brinkley’s favorite part of Ty’s eight-minute segment occurred later, when Ty explained how his dad taught him to throw so the ball wouldn’t flail “like a duck.”

“He would always make us laugh,” Brinkley said. “And you never knew what he was going to say. He was always very honest about it all.”

Ty still gives candid interviews, like this week, when he said Alabama must avoid “pissing away” a strong September/October. He uses vivid imagery, once comparing left tackle Kadyn Proctor’s athleticism to a hippo leaping out of water. Ty even shares personal moments, like a tearful moment a few years back at Alabama that deepened his faith.

“You know what’s weird for me, seeing the attention he’s getting now, there’s two parts to this,” Brinkley said. “Part of me goes, that’s Ty. That’s the little Ty I watched grow up. And then another part thinks that’s just Ty. That’s just Ty being Ty.”

How Ty Simpson almost ended up playing for Tennessee: ‘God closes doors’

MARTIN, Tenn. — Jason Simpson made sure to grab his son’s hand before they ran out onto the field.

He did that every game where a young Ty Simpson rushed out with the University of Tennessee at Martin football team.