Joel Klatt: Ty Simpson would already have Heisman if his name was Ty Manning

Joel Klatt thinks Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is getting overlooked because his last name isn’t Manning.

The Fox Sports analyst appeared on The Next Round on Monday and made the case that Simpson has been the best pure passer in college football this season. But Klatt also took a direct shot at the hype machine surrounding Texas quarterback Arch Manning, suggesting the only real difference between how the two are perceived comes down to their last names.

“If Ty Simpson’s name was Ty Manning, we would cancel the end of the season Heisman Trophy ceremony and just do it now,” Klatt said. “That’s the best pure passing game in college football. Simpson has been the best quarterback in college football from a passing perspective.”

“If Ty Simpson’s name was Ty Manning, we would cancel the end of the season Heisman Trophy ceremony and just do it now.” – @joelklatt @MyBookie pic.twitter.com/SRdNr9pnst

— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) October 6, 2025

Klatt wasn’t just offering a hot take for hot take’s sake. He studied Alabama film this past week while preparing for last Saturday’s Big Noon game between Wisconsin and Michigan at Ann Arbor. Wisconsin had played Alabama earlier in the season, so Klatt watched that tape as part of his prep work. What he saw from Simpson impressed him enough that he stopped the film multiple times.

“Simpson’s incredible,” Klatt continued. “I get to buzz through other tapes, but I really study the two teams that I’m gonna do, and Wisconsin just so happened to have Alabama on their schedule. So, last week when I’m preparing for Wisconsin, I’m really diving into Alabama film when they played Wisconsin. And there were like five — I want to say — times where I paused the film and I was just like, ‘Whoa, like that was a big league, top-3 draft pick throw.'”

The numbers support what Klatt saw on tape. Simpson has thrown for 1,478 yards and 13 touchdowns this season while completing 70.3% of his passes. He’s thrown just one interception all year. Against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Simpson completed 23 of 31 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama’s 30-14 win.

The Fox Sports analyst acknowledged that other quarterbacks have played well this season. He mentioned Oregon’s Dante Moore and Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr as players who have impressed him. He also noted that some quarterbacks have been more dynamic with their legs. But Klatt’s argument focused specifically on pure passing ability, where he believes Simpson stands alone among college quarterbacks this season.

The Manning comparison wasn’t accidental. Arch Manning entered this season as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy and was projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The hype was built almost entirely on his last name and limited playing time as Quinn Ewers’ backup at Texas. His first season as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback hasn’t matched those expectations.

Manning struggled in Texas’s season-opening loss to Ohio State, completing just 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards in a 14-7 loss. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and missed routine throws against the Buckeyes’ defense. The performance immediately raised questions about whether Manning could live up to the hype that had been building around him for years.

The media’s response to Manning’s struggles proved Klatt’s point about how the Manning name drives coverage. Pat McAfee admitted on College GameDay that he was part of the problem, saying he crowned Manning as a Heisman favorite before the quarterback had even taken a snap as Texas’s starter. Kirk Herbstreit suggested Manning’s struggles were as much mental and emotional as physical, pointing to the unrealistic expectations that had been placed on him because of his last name.

Manning has thrown for 1,151 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions through the first part of the season. Simpson has more passing yards, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, and a higher completion percentage. The statistical comparison isn’t particularly close.

Simpson currently has plus-800 odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to BetMGM, which ties him with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for the third-best odds in the country. Miami quarterback Carson Beck and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore both have better odds than Simpson despite his production.

Whether Simpson actually wins the Heisman will depend on how Alabama finishes the season and whether the Crimson Tide can make a run in the College Football Playoff. But Klatt’s larger point wasn’t really about the award itself. He’s arguing that if Simpson had the Manning last name, the media would already be treating him like the runaway favorite based on his performance. Instead, Simpson is putting together one of the best passing seasons in college football without generating anywhere close to the attention Manning received before ever proving himself as a starter.