Alabama is back in business in the SEC under Kalen DeBoer. He’ll have to thank Ty Simpson for that. The QB has been beyond impressive as the Tide’s leader, and continues to wow fans with each game. Now a serious Heisman favorite and the trump card of Alabama football, Simpson seems to be working with a mind of his own.

Nick Saban left Alabama with a parting gift in Ty Simpson. He vetted the QB’s brilliance before the season, and Simpson sure has lived up to those expectations. From being a doubt for DeBoer this season, he’s emerged as one of the best in the sport. He now has the fifth-highest QBR in the conference and is the fuel that fires the Alabama offense. He shared a strong message that he leaves with his fellow QBs, which helps him be such a threat in the season.

“We say in the quarterback room, ‘Prepare like you’ve never won, perform like you’ve never lost,’” he said after Tuesday’s practice, per On3’s Charlie Potter. That’s some elite-level mindset, which is exactly what the QB1 role demands in Alabama. Simpson, operating with that motto, has helped Alabama become a sure-shot contender for the SEC Championship. The Tide is now on an unbeaten 6-game streak. The road ahead is not so difficult for the QB, save for the Oklahoma and LSU games.

This comes after his tough confession recently, where he had said he felt disconnected and unsure of his role early at Alabama, sometimes approaching practices and meetings with a sense of dread and not fully appreciating the opportunity he had.

“This is a legitimate national championship caliber team,” Joel Klatt said on his show. Ty Simpson is a huge reason why this has become possible for Alabama. He’s now fit into the Alabama brand of QBs, which is something that DeBoer will appreciate greatly. Simpson is a pro at third-down conversions now. He singlehandedly torched Wisconsin in Week 3, going 24-of-29 on passes, throwing for 382 yards, and scoring 4 times. He also has a record-breaking night against ULM, nailing all of his 17 passes.

The biggest win of all for Ty Simpson is the trust Alabama has found in him. Nobody knew what the ceiling was for the QB, considering he saw very little time on the field before the season. Looking back, Simpson did admit that the wait had begun pinching at him.

Ty Simpson was miserable during his long wait for a starting job

Not everyone today follows the path that Ty Simpson took in his career. He signed with Alabama, knowing that he wouldn’t get to start very early on. His moment came after three patient seasons. By that time, most QBs would have jumped ship. But Simpson stayed put, with a great risk to his career. He sure is seeing the returns on that wait, but that doesn’t mean it was a good time for him.

“I felt like a lot of times in my years past, it almost felt like I was here, and not enjoying it,” Simpson said. “Just kind of miserable walking into the building, not knowing what I’m going to get into, not knowing how it’s going today instead of just embracing it and understanding my role,” he added. Simpson came to Alabama when Bryce Young outshone any other QB in college football. But the next two years were also not meant for him, as Jalen Milroe beat him to the QB1 role.

And it’s only because he stayed on at Tuscaloosa that Alabama is seeing such results in the season. Fans were ready to write him off after that tough loss to FSU at the beginning of this season. But now, people have identified Ty Simpson as ‘their’ quarterback. Based on what he’s already produced in his first season as a starter, the sky’s the limit for the Alabama QB1 now.