When Jon Gruden says he’d want to play in your offense, you’re doing something right. Alabama’s Week 9 duel with South Carolina was gritty. The Gamecocks clawed their way to a late lead, forcing the Crimson Tide’s young gun Ty Simpson to dig deep. What came next was a 4-yard dagger of a touchdown pass, followed by a forced fumble and another Bama score to seal a close 29-22 win. Not pretty, but gutsy and in Tuscaloosa, that’s what builds legends. But what really makes the QB tick?

Jon Gruden recently sat down with Alabama’s offensive tag team, Ryan Grubb and Nick Sheridan, to talk about Ty Simpson. The conversation, posted on the former NFL HC’s X account on October 31, painted a picture of the Tide QB that goes beyond stats. “When I watch Alabama, I see an offense that I want to play in,” Gruden said. “And I was kind of excited when you guys lost that first game because I wanted to see what was going to happen, what adversity hit… And Ty Simpson showed me something big time.” The Tide OC didn’t hesitate to back that up saying his QB “persevered” through a lot. 

Ryan Grubb revealed that Ty Simpson didn’t flinch even after losing his first career start to Florida State. “He just dug in, he just dug deeper,” he said. “And I think Ty has a profound love for ball. He’s in the facility all the time. He’s a grinder. He loves it for all the right reasons to pure competition. He’s an excellent locker room guys. He’s super bright. You know, he’s a really fun guy to coach.” And that grind hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Nick Sheridan, who’s worked alongside Grubb in a unique co-OC setup, echoed the sentiment. “He loves to be coached. He wants to get coached,” he said. “And I think all great players get upset when they don’t get coached and he’s that way. And so that’s why I think you’ve seen the growth, the improvement shows up every day, wanting to get better, looking for ways that he can improve and he’s continued to get better and better.” That’s the kind of DNA that wins both Heismans and hearts in the locker room.

And it’s working. Ty Simpson just dropped 253 yards and two TDs on South Carolina, marking his eighth straight game with at least 200 passing yards and two scores. The numbers are piling up with 2,184 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just one interception and the whispers have turned into roars.

Ty Simpson’s Heisman chatter to NFL noise

When asked about the Heisman talk, Ty Simpson brushed it off like a veteran. “There are four Heisman Trophies in Alabama’s hallway,” he told The Jim Rome Show. “But six National Championships. That’s what I came here for.” That mindset is a gem to NFL scouts. CBS Sports and Sporting News now list him as the clear-cut No. 1 prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. The latest odds have him at 2/1 to go first overall, ahead of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

And the chatter isn’t just academic. It has logic too. ESPN’s Football Power Index projects the New York Jets, sitting at 1-7 and running out of patience with $58 million man Justin Fields, to hold the third pick. With Woody Johnson’s public frustration boiling over, Ty Simpson in green and white has become a plausible scenario. It’s hard to argue with the numbers. The Tide QB leads the SEC in completions (177), touchdowns (20), and yards per attempt (9.73). Among all QBs with over 2,000 passing yards, he’s one of only two with one or fewer interceptions.

Ty Simpson’s story is college football’s latest reminder. When adversity hits, the great ones dig in. Alabama is off this week, but all eyes will be on their next LSU game followed by their Week 11 clash with No. 18 Oklahoma, the kind of stage where Heisman dreams and NFL futures get sealed.