Just a week ago, after the Iron Bowl, Ty Simpson looked like a first-round NFL draft pick. After all, he passed for three touchdowns and rushed 31 yards over Auburn, winning 27-20. Fast forward to the SEC Championship Game, and the wind around Bama’s QB1 has started to blow sideways. Alabama lost to Georgia, in a humiliating 7-28 loss, and Ty Simpson has a decision to make, according to former ESPN analyst Todd McShay.

“You mentioned Ty Simpson. I knew I was stalling for a second cuz I was trying to remember. My stance on him and his NFL potential has not changed. My stance has become firm on this, though. He needs to go back to school. I truly believe that,” said Todd McShay on his December 7 podcast with analyst Steve Muench. Looking at the SEC championship game, Simpson had some glaring flaws.

That’s coming about a quarterback who just finished the regular season with 3,268 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and a top-25 QBR (76.7).

Everyone expected Georgia to bring on heat through their D line, and Kirby Smart did the same. The Bulldogs hit him with three sacks and six official quarterback hits, and Alabama finished with –3 rushing yards as a team, so there was almost no run game to slow down the rush. Instead of navigating the pressure, Simpson was limited greatly in the pocket and had to rush his throws, owing to limited protection.

We saw the QB regularly under pressure, under- and over-throwing passes, and giving away a crucial interception in the first quarter. It’s also glaring since before coming into the game, Simpson had just four interceptions, and two of them were in a low-stakes game against Eastern Illinois. That throw flipped the field, setting up a 14-play, 57-yard Georgia drive that pushed the deficit to 14-0 and forced Alabama into pure catch-up mode.

“We just gotta make the easy things easy… We know we’re the best offense in the country. Then, when we don’t show it, it’s very frustrating. Especially times when we’re just a couple of things away. They had some copycat blitzes from people that we’ve seen before. We picked it up some. But I gotta be better at just communicating in general, right?” said the Bama QB1 after the SEC title game in Atlanta.

In total, Ty Simpson passed for 212 yards, completing just 19 passes out of 39 for a touchdown. Not to mention, the UGA D line greatly limited his rushing prowess as he stood at -28 rushing yards after the game ended. A QB rating of 19.9 then was expected owing to the QB’s performance and faltering in the game. However, since Simpson is still a redshirt junior, he can learn from the setbacks. We can then see Ty Simpson not registering for the 2026 NFL draft and giving one more year to bolster his draft stock. And the reason for it isn’t just limited to the Georgia game.

College football has seen this kind of crossroads before. Joe Burrow went back to LSU for one more year after an uneven first season as the starter and turned himself into a national champion and the No. 1 overall pick; Simpson now faces a similar choice about whether another year of development can reset his trajectory.

Shortcomings that Ty Simpson needs to refine going into the 2026 season

Of course, all the problems Simpson faced weren’t his shortcomings. For one, Kalen DeBoer was missing several starters through injuries, including starting left guard Kam Dewberry, who was limited, and RB Jam Miller, who was ruled out. Players like tight end Josh Cuevas and defensive lineman LT Overton also missed the game, along with starting cornerback Zabien Brown, who went off during the game. Even Kalen DeBoer outlined the injuries and defended Ty Simpson after the game.

“You execute, or you have a lack of execution in games because you probably didn’t have everyone out there working together in practice,” said Kalen DeBoer. While that can give some sympathy to Simpson, it still can’t hide the fact that Simpson needs to refine his skills. Adjusting to pre-snap changes, checks at the line, and reading blitzes perfectly. Auburn, for instance, did the same, baiting Simpson by overloading one side and causing the Bama QB to slide the protection. The next step? Wash, rinse, refine, and repeat.

“He is too early in his game experience process to not allow himself to rinse this year and wash it away, but not without going back to the tape and refining. There is work to be done, whether it’s from protection of the football, five straight games with fumbles inside the pocket, or ball carriage. Secondly, the deep ball accuracy. Thirdly, it seems he’s gotten into some habits now. Because I’m watching, is defenses have had enough tape to figure out, okay, what do we do to throw his eyes off,” said Todd McShay.

Additionally, Simpson needs to improve his patience in the pocket. It’s, of course, not the same as midseason when he picked apart defenses like UGA itself on the road, Vandy, and Tennessee. Not to mention, Not to mention, he is too frequently leaving protection and the pocket, which forces linemen to adjust and makes the running backs vulnerable. All of the improvements can undoubtedly happen, and when Simpson comes next season, he will indeed be the best QB in the country. Maybe a Heisman to top it off?

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