Grading Ty Simpson’s crisp Week 3 performance in Alabama’s win over Wisconsin

Alabama was one of many preseason national title contenders entering the 2025 season with a first-time starting quarterback, and Ty Simpson looked like it in Tallahassee Week 1. Florida State had him under heavy pressure, and he didn’t appear to be comfortable in the pocket or trusting his eyes downfield. 

Then, in Week 2 against Louisiana Monroe, something clicked for the redshirt junior. He was perfect, completing all 17 of his pass attempts, but that was against Sun Belt competition. How much can truly be gleaned from a 73-0 win? Well, when Simpson stacks another crisp performance on top of it in Week 3, maybe a lot. 

Simpson connected on 24 of his 29 throws on Saturday, dissecting Wisconsin’s defense for 382 yards and four touchdowns. Unlike last week, a few balls may have hit the ground, but Simpson’s Week 3 outing may have been even more impressive. 

While he sat on the bench behind Bryce Young and then Jalen Milroe for three years at Alabama, Simpson was a former five-star recruit, and in two of his three starts this season, he’s looked the part. His arm strength isn’t off the charts, and his mobility, while more than serviceable, isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he’s remarkably accurate, and when he’s seeing the field well and throwing with anticipation, the offense hums. 

The way Simpson layers the ball to the second level is borderline elite, allowing him to access the holes in zone coverage on corner routes and deep overs, and now that he’s throwing with better anticipation, he’s feasting in the middle of the field. In Week 3, Simpson went 6-for-8 on throws from 10-19 yards downfield and between the numbers for 121 yards and two touchdowns. 

The other aspect of Simpson’s game that saw noticeable improvement in Week 3 was his poise under pressure. Pressure sensitivity remains the main concern for Simpson early in his career, as it does for most inexperienced quarterbacks, but on his nine pressured dropbacks, he went 5-for-5 for 55 yards, with three scrambles and just one sack. His best throw of the game came before taking a big hit in the pocket and is the first of the cutup. 

If the caliber of execution and accuracy that Simpson has displayed in the last two weeks carries over against SEC competition, then he could easily make a case as the best quarterback in the conference, especially as LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier deals with an injury.