In a year where every contender seems to have weaknesses, the nation’s individual awards are similarly shrouded in a blob of favorites, with no frontrunner and many lingering question marks. None is bigger than the Heisman Trophy, of course; the national sports media’s obsession given annually to “the nation’s most outstanding player.”
“Most outstanding” is certainly nebulous, but we have a general profile of what kind of player typically takes home the award:
- Running backs have won the most overall throughout history. But unless that back is on a national championship-calibre team and has eye-watering stats with plenty of highlight reel moments, it’s simply not going to happen. At the least, the RB must come from a major conference school, and be on a Top 10 team. In the past 25 years Ricky Williams, Ron Dayne, Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush, and Derrick Henry are the only running backs to take home the trophy — three of those set multiple national records, all were on Top 10 teams, and three later went on to win the national title (Roll Tide). It is the latter criterion — national relevance — that has doomed the chances of truly great players like Ashton Jeanty, despite having the stats on their CV.
- Wide Receivers have almost no shot. In the last twenty-five years only one pure wideout has taken home the Heisman. And, unsurprisingly, it required a legendary season of smashed records while playing on a national title contender (Roll Tide).
- A combo wide receiver has won a trophy once in the modern era, just last year: Travis Hunter at Colorado. But like the other wideout recipient, the team had to be nationally ranked and he had to plainly be the best player on a nationally relevant squad. Moreover, Hunter didn’t win for his 1100+ yards and 92 receptions; he also led the B12 in PDs (11) and interceptions (4).
- That’s it. That’s the list of non-quarterbacks, despite generational performances from defenders like Will Anderson and Ndamukong Suh, every one else has been a quarterback and has met the general profile above, with 10 of those quarterbacks later playing for a national title, half a dozen of them winning one (we won’t count Bryce Young on the bench here), and another trio were in the playoffs.
It’s not mere productivity, then. It’s productivity and
relevance, with a few scattered ESPN viral moments or big games that showcases their value to a team shaping the national discussion.
And that brings us to this entirely earnest statement: Ty Simpson deserves to be a Heisman favorite, and we have to begin acknowledging it. Period.
Let’s make the numerical case first.
- QBR: 12th nationally (84.2)
- QB Efficiency: 14 (173.15)
- YPG: 14th (284.5)
- YPG vs. Power 5 teams: 14th (307 YPG)
- TDs: 11 (T-9th), two rushing TDs
- Ints: 0 (T-1st)
- YPA: 9.0 (T-18th), 69.8% completion
- Alabama Efficiency Offense: 6th
- Passing Efficiency Offense: 1st
- PPG v Power 5: 38.0 (10th):
These are all outstanding numbers in their own right, but what’s really getting lost in the discussion here is that Simpson has done this against three Power 5 teams, including two Top 25 squads on the road. And he’s only made four career starts.
Ty’s best football lies in front of him, though he’s already had some big moments — such as ripping his arm free of a Georgia defensive tackle and then firing a strike over the middle to Lotzeir Brooks on a critical third down strike on the road against the 3rd-ranked team in the nation. Had his receivers not let him down on some deep bombs in a few contests, Simpson’s numbers could be even better than these. And his “worst” game, his first, was a matter of getting up to speed as a new starter, not deficiencies in his abilities. Even so, most teams would kill for a 294 yard, two TD first start on the road with no turnovers.
That last point is the most critical part of this too. It’s not just that Ty looks the part; it’s that he’s facing some very tough competition, he’s yet to commit a turnover in his entire career in Tuscaloosa, and he’s not costing his team games. Sure, it would have been nice to connect on a few more in Tallahassee, and he left a few throws on the field here or there in Athens. But he’s winning on the field, Alabama is back where it started when the season began — 10th in the latest polls — and the Crimson Tide and its fiery field general control not only its SEC fortunes, but its playoff destiny.
And that’s what a “most outstanding player” candidate looks like.
Roll Tide
