In six weeks, Ty Simpson has gone from being questioned as a legitimate starting QB option for Alabama to arguably the best quarterback in all of college football. It's telling in how far Simpson has come that people are once again raving about his performance against Missouri despite Simpson himself being pretty disappointed by it.
He holds himself to a high standard, and he's confident in what he and the offense are capable of when everyone is clicking on all cylinders. Saturday in CoMo was far from that, but Simpson still managed a pretty efficient day: 23-of-31 for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Simpson's performance has him right in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race. It's also got him beginning to generate serious NFL Draft buzz. If his performance continues at this level, don't be surprised to see the Alabama QB start making a serious push to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
College football analyst Tom Luginbill joined the Next Round on Monday and made a bold comparison for Simpson to a former No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Tom Luginbill compares Ty Simpson to Andrew Luck
"He reminds me of Andrew Luck at Stanford," Luginbill said on the Next Round. "Where the ball handling, the footwork, the deceptive athleticism, the accuracy. We talk about anticipation and timing and being decisive, one of the reasons it's so difficult to rush him. That's who he looks like. That's who he reminds me of. That's why he's going to grow and become more and more attractive if he keeps playing at this level, because if he does, look out. I just think he's an absolute difference maker.
That's a lot of praise for Simpson. Luck was an incredible player during his career at Stanford. Luck finished as the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting to Baylor's Robert Griffin III in 2011. Luck then went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, where he was a four-time Pro Bowler in seven pro seasons.
It's still early in Simpson's career as a starter, and his lack of experience makes him more of a wildcard than Luck was. Luck was considered a sure thing after 38 starts at Stanford.
Simpson will need to be on his A-game this weekend against Tennessee. The Vols bring the SEC's highest scoring offense to the table, and Alabama's issues in plus-territory the last two weeks are a recipe for a loss.
But if Simpson plays at a high level again and leads the Crimson Tide to a win, Alabama will be in really good shape in the SEC and College Football Playoff races, and the redshirt junior will continue his climb toward the top of the QB hierarchy.