The Class of 2022 is strong in the Volunteer State, especially with Ty Simpson on the top of that list. The Martin native is a 4-star dual-threat quarterback from Westview High School, rated high by every major football recruiting media outlet.
Simpson grew up around the game of football as his dad, Jason Simpson, is the Head Football Coach at the University of Tennessee-Martin. His close relationship with his father allowed him to not only sharpen his skills on the field from a physical standpoint, but also to expand his football knowledge on the strategic side.
2019 Recap
Simpson is a 6-2, 185-pound sophomore who is ranked as one of the top 100 recruits in the country for his class, not to mention being the most sought after prospect in the state of Tennessee in over a decade.
As the third best dual-threat option in his age group, Simpson helped the Chargers clinch a Class 3A playoff berth last year as he threw for 1,770 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 53.6% of his passes.
He experienced equal success in the classroom, maintaining a 3.5 GPA while balancing the responsibilities of his participation in organized sport.
EFN Evaluation
Simpson’s athletic ability is impressive, to say the least. At The Opening Regional in 2019, the QB was clocked with a 4.91 second time to complete the forty-yard dash, on top of other measurements such as a 31.6 inch vertical and 4.44 second shuttle time.
Ty possesses a strong arm that routinely throws the ball downfield 50 yards plus. He has a smooth delivery and a quick release. Has outstanding pocket presence, awareness, and movement. You can tell he is well-coached in the nuances of playing quarterback. Ty has the ability to extend plays with his feet and does well with off-platform throws. He is extremely accurate all over the field and can make any throw. Ty can be a Power 5 starter very early in his career. His EFN QB Rating is 93.
Recruiting Status
The Westview star has collected 34 offers so far, from a list of schools that includes: Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and USC, among others.
Every school in the SEC has extended an offer to Simpson, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the other schools Power 5 conferences followed in their footsteps by the end of his high school career. The most recent university to offer him a scholarship was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on May 26, but recently had contact with LSU Tigers staff during a virtual visit in early June.
Speaking of virtual visits, the coronavirus pandemic has had a substantial impact on the quarterback’s recruitment process in more ways than one as he was forced to cancel spring visits to FSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Clemson, and Ole Miss for fear of risking his personal health. Yet, the QB has still managed to stay productive in finding the best program fit for him.
“It’s been tough”, Simpson said. “I’ve been FaceTiming head coaches a lot; just this week I have talked to Coach Franklin from Penn State, Coach Riley from Oklahoma, Coach Pruitt from Tennessee, Coach Kiffin at Ole Miss and Coach Leach at Mississippi State. It’s happening like that every week so it’s been crazy.” He added that while frustrated with not getting to make all the in-person visits he wanted to, he is doing as many virtual tours as he can.
As of now, there are no official leaders in this sweepstakes, but he noted that “LSU, Auburn, Alabama, along with Ole Miss and Clemson” stand out to him.
Set to begin the 2020 season under his third head coach of his high school career, it will be interesting to see if there will be any learning curve for established players at Westview like Simpson. However, one thing is for sure: Ty Simpson will be a name that is revered by opposing defenses during the 2020 amateur football season.
