Former five-star prospect who waited his turn at Alabama and raised his profile in a single season as the Tide’s starter. Simpson is mechanically sound from a footwork and release perspective, providing a favorable foundation to work from. He’s above average as a processor and decision-maker, but timing and anticipation remain works in progress. Arm talent and velocity are average, which limits his success. His repeatable process should help iron out ball placement inconsistencies the more he plays. Simpson is unfazed by shell coverages and is decisive when attacking intermediate zone pockets for chunk gains. He can break contain and move the sticks with his legs, too. Learning to cut bait and avoid sacks needs to be prioritized. One-year starters rarely “boom” so he’ll need a patient staff and a clear developmental roadmap to fill in the missing pieces.
Strengths
- Strong four-game stretch against Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Tennessee
- Had freedom to set and adjust protections at the line.
- Recognizes coverage quickly and moves through progressions with pace.
- Risk management is generally good.
- Exceptional footwork, with feet tied to eyes.
- Climbs, slides and resets the launch point when edge pressure closes in.
- Decisive in probing and attacking intermediate pockets of the zone.
- Throws with repeatable mechanics from snap to snap.
- Rarely misses basic throws to open receivers between the numbers.
- Receiver drops distort his accuracy numbers.
- Able to create on second reaction when the play breaks down.
- Escapes pocket with enough speed to move the chains.
Weaknesses
- Only one season of starting experience.
- Carries a below-average build and dealt with nagging injuries in 2025.
- Posted a 57% completion rate over his final four games.
- Safeties took advantage of lazy eye discipline late in the season.
- Base can get jittery when under duress, leading to inconsistent ball placement.
- Average arm talent, with throws on the menu that should be ordered sparingly.
- Inconsistent timing on deep throws.
- Struggles layering the ball over linebackers and beating tight man with precision.
- Needs better judgement on when to extend versus when to take a profit.
- Held the ball for too long, leading to unnecessary sacks.
— by Lance Zierlein NFL.COM
Player Bio
- High school: Five-star QB, top-25 overall recruit nationally.
- 2022: Redshirted. Played in 4 games as a reserve behind Jalen Milroe and Bryce Young (4-5-80.0, 35 yards passing).
- 2023: Played in 6 games as a reserve behind Jalen Milroe (11-20-55.0, 179 yards passing; 14-86-6.1, 2 TDs rushing).
- 2024: Played in 6 games as a reserve behind Jalen Milroe (14-25-56.0, 167 yards passing; 8-44-5.5, TD rushing).
- 2025: Second-team All-SEC. Finalist for the Manning Award (nation’s top QB, including postseason). Ranked seventh in the FBS with 305 completions (473 attempts, 64.5%), 10th with 3,567 passing yards (28 TDs, 5 INTs). Started all 15 games (90-93-1.2, 2 TDs rushing). Team captain.
- Miscellaneous: Father, Jason, has been the head coach of Tennessee-Martin football since 2006. Brother, Graham, plays QB at Westview High School and was the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year (2,752 yards, 43 TDs, 0 INTs passing) in 2024.
— by Chad Reuter NFL.COM