MACON — Jeffery Simmons was looking for only one.
Minutes after the Noxubee County High School football team defeated St. Stanislaus 48-27 to win the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state title, the junior defensive lineman was surrounded by a three reporters.
The topic of conversation wasn’t Simmons’ dominating performance in the Tigers’ third state championship. Instead, the reporters asked Simmons about Ole Miss, Mississippi State, the Egg Bowl, and his thoughts about the colleges that are recruiting him.
As players from Laurel and Oxford high schools warmed up behind him, Simmons answered questions patiently for about 10 minutes as his teammates and coaches made their way to the locker room.
“After they started (with questions) about the recruiting process, I just knew they were going to go on and on about that,” Simmons said. “I thought they were going to ask at least one question about the game.”
Simmons’ exchange with the reporters was a telling sign of how quickly things can change. At one point, you can be focused on ending your season the right way. Minutes later, you can be pulled in another direction as someone tries to take you away from your goal.
Simmons experienced plenty of offensive linemen, running backs, and quarterbacks who tried as hard as they could to do just that to him this season. Through it all, the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder kept his focus and moved to different positions on the defensive line in an attempt to inject himself into the discussion. The results helped Simmons finish second on the team with 107 tackles and earn Class 4A All-State honors.
Simmons also had an impact on the other side of the football. He had five catches as a receiver, two rushes and a touchdown as a running back, numerous blocks out of the I-formation when the Tigers went with their heavy package, and 11 touchdowns in all, including four on fumble recoveries.
Simmons nearly added to that total against St. Stanislaus, as he blocked his second punt of the season and almost recovered it in the end zone. Despite that play and getting six tackles, half a sack, half a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hurries, Simmons’ focus after the game shifted to recruiting and if Ole Miss’ victory against MSU in the Egg Bowl was going to impact his college choice.
“I was mainly thinking about the game,” Simmons said. “I wasn’t really thinking about the recruiting process at the time. I told you our main goal was to help the seniors go out with a ring, and that is all I was thinking about.”
Simmons’ ability to remain locked in on a goal served the Tigers well this season. In addition to finishing second on the team in tackles, Simmons led Noxubee County with 15.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, 23 hurries, five fumble recoveries, eight forced fumbles, and two blocked punts. For those accomplishments, Simmons is The Dispatch’s Large Schools Defensive Player of the Year.
“He is just an incredible football player,” Noxubee County High School coach Tyrone Shorter said. “He is smart. He has that football savvy and that high football IQ. We can put him anywhere. I believe that kid can play all 11 positions on offense and all 11 positions on defense if we wanted to put him there. We moved him around a lot defensively because they kept running away from him.
“We used him some in the backfield and some at tight end. He is just an unbelievable athlete. The sky is the limit for that kid. He is just a junior. He is going to get bigger and stronger. He is a smart guy. I really think he is an NFL player. I think he will play on Sundays one day if he stays grounded and if he stays humble and he continues to do the right things.”
Simmons likely will face increased scrutiny leading up to next season, when he is expected to lead an experienced Noxubee County team in its quest for a fourth state championship. Simmons acknowledged that fact earlier this month when he said his coaches already have told him to “keep his grind on and to stay focused.” He said he will try to do that by working hard in the weight room and becoming an even better leader than he was this season.
“I don’t feel the pressure,” Simmons said. “The game is going to come to you. I just go out and play and not worry about it.”
Simmons didn’t worry about making an impact even though teams schemed to avoid him. Shorter and defensive coordinator George Richardson attempted to combat that by moving Simmons from defensive end to the center of the defensive front. Regardless of where Simmons played, he used his speed and his strength to make an impact.
Simmons didn’t need very much time to put his stamp on the state title game. After holding St. Stanislaus to three-and-out on its opening possession, Simmons broke through and blocked a punt. Although the football wiggled free from underneath his body and waited until teammate Kevorkian Brewer fell on it in the end zone, the Tigers’ defense had set the tone and was intent on making things difficult for the Rock-a-Chaws.
Simmons said he saw on film he could get past the guard who was blocking him, so he made one move and was in the backfield. He said he blocked the punt between his palm and his wrist. He smiled and said he must have fallen too hard on the ball because he wasn’t able to recover it for the score. That didn’t matter, though, because he said all of the defenders celebrate with the one who gets the final reward for a job well done by the other 10 players.
“Whatever you want, to me, you can achieve it,” Simmons said. “That is something I really want and I know I am going to work for it, and I think I can make it.
“Just being a leader. All of that falls under being a leader.”
Shorter said earlier this season Simmons is a “natural leader.” He said Simmons took the initiative this season to set the example for older and younger teammates. Shorter said the team chemistry on the squad was strong enough that there wasn’t any jealousy on the team, which allowed all of the classes to come together to win another state title.
Next season, Simmons wants to be one of the Tigers leading the way to another one. He said he has talked with his brother, Dylan Bradley, a former standout at Noxubee County High who is a defensive lineman at Southern Mississippi, about how to prepare for college recruiters and his senior season. Simmons said his brother wants what is best for him and that he told him to go with his instincts and take the best offer. In the meantime, Simmons said he will put in the work needed so he can follow through on a promise and “go out with a bang in my senior year.”
If that means lifting to play a bigger dual role, Simmons will do it. If that means getting into the offense’s play book to learn more pass routes or blocking schemes, he will do it. Don’t worry about overloading Simmons because he is going to do what it takes to make sure he and his teammates get one more title before his prep career is finished.
“(Coach Shorter) always tells me if everybody puts me up there I have to play like it,” Simmons said. “He tells me I have to play up to my capabilities. He knows I can get it and get it done, and I just have to act like it and play like.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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