One throw told Kalen DeBoer everything he needed about Ty Simpson's growth

Ty Simpson has made major strides over the last couple of weeks, solidifying his spot as Alabama's starting QB. He's beginning to generate awards and NFL Draft buzz; he's played as well as any quarterback in the country in the Tide's last two games.

A big part of Simpson's improvement has been increased confidence and more game reps. There's no substitute for experience. The best part is that you can see Simpson growing right before our very eyes. He's accepted the feedback his coaches have given him and run with it.

Simpson's biggest issue against Florida State in the season opener was a lack of confidence in the pocket. Even when he was given clean looks, he too often fell to the temptation of bailing anyway and rolling to his right. He also wasn't trusting his receivers enough; he was waiting for routes to break open before throwing instead of letting the ball go with anticipation.

If you watch his tape against Florida State and then jump to his tape against Wisconsin last week, it doesn't even look like the same QB.

“Just really proud of the way he’s trusting his offensive line," Kalen DeBoer said this week on Hey Coach. "He knows the timing and trust with the receivers. And so, it just comes through reps. It comes through practice is one thing. But when you know you’re gonna get hit and you just know you gotta hang on to it for that half a second longer, and the routes are gonna open up, he’s starting to get that."

One throw in particular stood out to DeBoer - and plenty of others on social media.

"I think there was a third-down play, the second drive, where he ripped it into Ryan Williams along their sideline on a corner route."

You can see the throw DeBoer is referencing below:

This version of Ty Simpson makes Alabama a contender

Alabama could not win a National Championship - and perhaps not even make the playoff - with the version of Simpson that played against Florida State. But the one who showed up against UL Monroe and Wisconsin? Yeah, that version of Simpson can lead the Crimson Tide to the promised land.

The version of Simpson from the last two weeks is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. We're seeing him develop right before our eyes, and making DeBoer's comments in the preseason about Alabama's QB coaching look even more prescient.

Alabama will need the best version of Simpson next week in Athens, which will be the big test for the redshirt junior signal-caller - and the big test for Alabama as a whole to see if the Tide has really turned from a disappointing start.