Blue White Illustrated

one point before he committed to Penn State, the Seminoles were the team to beat.) And wherever he went, he wore his blue and red apparel, to make sure everyone knew where he was from. "He was always in DeMatha gear," Jen said. "He always represented the program and represented the program very well. He sees people who have coached him at camps and they call him 'DeMatha.' He would come with full DeMatha gear. He would come to Rivals camps or the Nike Opening in full DeMatha. You'd see the same coaches year a6er year, and he walks in and they're like 'Hey, DeMatha! We're glad to see you back.' " It was the kind of recognition that Sim- mons wanted, the kind that helped li6 DeMatha back into the national forefront a6er a hiatus that lasted a couple years. And it's a persona that he wants to continue to embody when he enrolls at Penn State to begin his collegiate career this June. "That leadership shines through," Jen said. "At DeMatha he was picked as a cap- tain [and] at the Under Armour game. He's leading [Penn State's Class of 2016] to come in now, and that's really had a big impact. Every interview he's done, his so- cial media, he does things the right way, but I think as he's done that, he's also done things to shine a very positive spot- light on DeMatha to make that program proud, just like he'll do at Penn State." Simmons verbally committed to the Nit- tany Lions in the summer before his junior season, becoming one of the 5rst recruits who Franklin started recruiting and then 5nished recruiting. A6er announcing his decision during a ceremony at his high school, wearing his maroon DeMatha blaz- er, of course, he never reconsidered, never visited other schools and was the bell cow of Franklin's 5rst start-to-5nish recruiting class, helping the coaches encourage and hold onto other top prospects right up until signing day. "He held the class together," defensive recruiting coordinator Terry Smith said. "Never wavered. Never thought twice about leaving. [He is] a strong individual with two strong parents who really, really support him and support our program. We can't say enough thanks to him for his support." Simmons, and for that matter, all parties involved, are hoping it's just the beginning. Having helped li6 his high school back to prominence, he has similar ambitions for Penn State. He's been holed up inside DeMatha's weight room since the January All-America game in Orlando, Fla., working one-on- one with strength and conditioning coach Mark McCain. As of late March, Simmons weighed close to 240 pounds, up from his listed weight of 230 on signing day. "I am working out and I'm putting more weight on," Simmons said. "Just drinking protein and eating a lot more." "A lot more," Jen added, laughing. "I'm not looking forward to him leaving, but I should have taken stock in Harris Teeter and Whole Foods before this spring." In the 5nal rankings, a6er a senior season in which he had 82 tackles, 16 sacks, 23 tackles for loss and forced three fumbles, Simmons was considered the No. 104 prospect in the country by Rivals, No. 4 overall in Maryland and the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the 2016 class. As well, he was a consensus four-star prospect. But that star ranking is not the summa- tion of Simmons' potential. It's not the reason why so many people see him as a key part of whatever resurgence takes place at Penn State in the coming years, and it's not why teammates and coaches are so con5dent he can ful5ll his ambitions. Many of Simmons' most striking qualities are intangible in nature: his sense of school pride, his team-5rst attitude, his capacity for leadership and his humble approach to the game. "I am who I am," he said. "My ranking doesn't really de5ne me as a player or as a person. That's just how things go." That approach has already helped return a traditional power to prominence and helped a young head coach establish him- self in his 5rst few years on the job. Maybe it can happen again. ■

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