Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton met long before this past summer.

Sure, they both spent time at the Manning Passing Academy this summer, but that was really a reunion of sorts.

“He’s a great guy,” Stockton said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “We went to the Alabama camp together when we were in high school. Talked about that, talked about our experiences. It was neat getting to talk to him.”

Stockton and Simpson each emerged from the 2022 recruiting class. Stockton is a native of Tiger, Georgia. Simpson is a native of Martin, Tennessee.

Simpson was more highly rated coming out of high school. The 247Sports Composite rated Simpson a five-star quarterback, ranked No. 3 at his position and No. 26 overall. Stockton was a four-star quarterback, ranked No. 7 at the position and No. 124 overall.

Simpson and Stockton are expected to face off Sept. 27 when Alabama travels to Athens, Georgia to play the Bulldogs. Neither quarterback started in the game a season ago that Alabama won at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jalen Milroe and Carson Beck played for their respective teams in that matchup.

Simpson has not officially been named the starter yet for the Crimson Tide, but he has been labeled the frontrunner heading into preseason practices.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.