MACON — Jeffery Simmons didn’t want to wait until the last minute.
If he could have, the Noxubee County High School five-star defensive end would have made his college decision on the first day of the recruiting process to end it as quickly as possible. But Simmons soon found himself in a predicament of his own making because the schools he picked — Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss — all had plenty to offer him, and even more fans who wanted him to join their football programs.
It wasn’t until Wednesday morning that the journey Simmons called “crazy” finally ended. In front of a packed crowd in the school’s gymnasium, Simmons announced to everyone in attendance and to the audience watching a live streaming broadcast on the Internet that he was going to attend Mississippi State.
“I felt like Mississippi State was a better option,” Simmons said. “Not even because it is close to home, but I feel like being able to go in and probably play right off (was one of the deciding factors).”
Simmons said he looked at the success of former MSU defensive lineman Chris Jones to see how he might do at MSU. He said the fact that Jones is from a small town (Houston) like him gave him confidence to know he could have a similar impact in the Southeastern Conference. Jones, a junior this past season, has declared for the NFL draft in April.
Simmons said the calls continued right up until Wednesday morning. He said he had several calls on National Signing Day and that the process was “worse” in the very end than at any other time.
“I am ready to get this over with because it has been very stressful, especially (Tuesday night),” Simmons said. “I am glad to get it over with. I can ease my mind now and focus more.”
Despite missing four games due to injury, the 6-foot-4, 272-pound Simmons played a key role in leading Noxubee County to its second-consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state title. He was second on his team in solo tackles (88) and second in overall tackles (105) to classmate Qendarrion Barnett.
Simmons, who represented Mississippi in the 29th-annual Senior All-Star game against Alabama and played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, led the Tigers (12-4) with 20 1/2 tackles for loss, 18 1/2 sacks, 21 quarterback hurries, three blocked field goals, and two blocked punts. He also caused two fumbles, recovered two fumbles, made one interception, and deflected five passes.
Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter credited Simmons and his classmates for “pulling everybody back together” after the team lost four-straight games to end the season on a 10-game winning streak. A 44-23 victory against St. Stanislaus helped the 2015 team became the school’s first to win back-to-back titles.
Shorter said Simmons told him a couple of days ago he had narrowed his college choices to Alabama and MSU. He said Simmons told him Wednesday morning he had made his decision.
“I think all three schools did a great job recruiting him,” Shorter said. “Like I told him, no matter where you go to school because they are all great schools, you are going to be good wherever you go. I told him it is up to you because you have to live with this decision and be happy with it. When he announced Mississippi State, I was a little bit surprised because I was thinking it was going to be more Alabama.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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