Ty Simpson didn't walk away with any national hardware after his first season at the helm as a starter in college football, but that isn't stopping this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, from showing respect to the fellow quarterback ahead of Alabama and Indiana's matchup in the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Both signal callers took different routes before popping onto the scene as household names in 2025. Simpson had just finally broken through as Alabama's starter after spending 3 seasons on the bench while working his way up the depth chart. Meanwhile, Mendoza had experience under his belt but transferred from Cal to Indiana and successfully earned the starting gig in Bloomington.
Their different journeys to get to this moment are why Mendoza found himself paying respect to Simpson in California to reporters on Tuesday.
"Ty Simpson is an amazing player," Mendoza said at Rose Bowl media day. "I’ve seen him or heard about him for a long time now. He was one of the top guys. I watched the whole entire 2022 Elite 11 class. Not only was he a great quarterback, he seemed like he was a great guy. And I think everyone he’s rubbed off on, whether it was his podcast with Bussin with the Boys, I’ve always seen his personality shine through, and I think that’s why he’s such a great leader of that team, in which people see he’s authentic, he’s genuine, and they want to go behind him. Also, as a player, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, no doubt about it."
Fernando Mendoza offers high praise for Alabama QB Ty Simpson
Mendoza continued voicing his respect for the Alabama signal caller by dissecting Simpson's game against a common opponent both QBs faced this season, Wisconsin. This particular performance stood out to Mendoza because it was Simpson's best statistical game of the season, completing 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns.
"They did play Wisconsin this year, and we also played Wisconsin, so I was able to dissect that game thoroughly, and that game showed why he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation," Mendoza said. "He’s extremely efficient, extremely accurate. From that game, I’ve admired a lot from his game, and also we’ve taken a couple plays from the game against Wisconsin in game planning, and I’ve taken a couple things from my own game in watching him."
Mendoza and Simpson now both look to continue their individual success stories under center and lead their teams to victory in Pasadena on Thursday when Alabama kicks off against Indiana on New Year's Day at 3 PM, CT on ESPN.