A user on Instagram asked Auburn senior defensive back Jaylin Simpson if he planned on playing in Auburn’s bowl game against Maryland on Dec. 30.

In a day and age when more and more college football players are opting out of bowl games, the question was warranted. But Simpson was quick to respond and left no room for any kind of speculation.

“Yep,” Simpson bluntly responded.

And based on Simpson’s comments on Auburn reaching bowl eligibility earlier this year, his decision to play in the Music City Bowl shouldn’t come as a shock.

“I just like playing football. I just want to play as many games as possible,” Simpson said on Oct. 24. “Me personally, I just want to go to a bowl game because I just like to play. It’s just important because if you don’t go to a bowl game you have to sit and watch everyone play.”

Such was the case last year as the Tigers missed out on playing in the postseason.

“I can’t speak for everyone, but for me I was not happy,” Simpson said. “I was not happy that I wasn’t playing in a bowl game.”

So given the opportunity this season, Simpson is locked into playing in Auburn’s bowl game against Maryland later this month.

What Simpson decides to do after the fact, however, will be interesting. Though Simpson still has one year of eligibility remaining, he graded out well during his 2023 regular season campaign with a 78.0 grade according to Pro Football Focus.

Simpson was named to the Senior Bowl Mid-Season All-American team in October, while senior bowl director Jim Nagy previously predicted that Simpson would “blow up” at the NFL Combine.

The good news for Auburn is the fact that it sounds like Simpson will be waiting until after the bowl game to jump to any decisions about his future — whether that means staying at Auburn or turning his attention to the NFL.