New grad assistant Antjuan Simmons says Michigan State is 'completely different' than when he played

East Lansing, Mich. – When Antjuan Simmons was a senior linebacker for Mel Tucker’s first Michigan State team in 2020, Simmons worked to help the new head coach’s philosophies take root.

Progress was made during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but Simmons had graduated by the time the Spartans went 11-2 in 2021, and then fell back to 5-7 last year.

Now, Simmons is back at Michigan State as a defensive graduate assistant. And he sees that more progress has been made toward Tucker’s level of accountability and discipline. 

“Similarities between then and now?” Simmons said, repeating a question that was asked after a recent practice. “Honesty, completely different. Completely different.”

What has changed?

“The intensity, the focus, the details,” Simmons said.

Those things were emphasized back in 2020, too. But it’s amplified now.

“Everything matters, everything means something,” said Simmons, who graduated with a degree in human development and family studies. “From the time they walk into the building until the time when they leave, even when they get home, there are expectations. From the way they put their helmet down, to the way they take the field, to the way they get off the field, everything is being examined. Everything.”

Simmons is the first player from the Tucker era who has returned to Michigan State as a staffer. Simmons was a second-team All-Big Ten linebacker selection in 2020 by media and third-team by coaches.

He could have returned for an extra season in 2021 but chose to pursue a pro career. He went un-drafted, gave NFL free agency a try and then returned to the Detroit area to work as a coach. 

He spent time as an assistant at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, where he had been a four-star recruit in 2017. Most recently, Simmons worked as an assistant coach at Westland John Glenn High School and served in the John Glenn school district as a Behavior Specialist at Adams Middle School. 

Simmons’ interest in coaching was sparked during his freshman season with the Spartans when a back injury sidelined him at the 2017 Holiday Bowl.

“I was a little down on myself and Coach Tressel was like, ‘You can have a ‘poor me’ attitude or you can provide some value and help me coach,’” Simmons said. “He gave me an option, but it really wasn’t too much of an option and I chose to provide value and coach. During that time, I figured out that coaching was something that I loved doing and that I wanted to do. So I decided that as soon as I was done playing, I would go into coaching. And that’s exactly what I did.”

Simmons applied for a grad assistant opening at Michigan State during the winter and returned in time for spring practice. 

“It’s a completely different team than when I was here,” he said. “It’s completely different as far as depth. We have more depth now. Guys can do a lot of different things. I was impressed to see that. 

“This team is different in everything across the board – the guys up front leading the room, even the incoming guys. One thing that I noticed is that in the linebacker room, these guys are big across the board. Cal (Haladay) is probably our smallest guy in the room right now.”

Haladay is an inch taller and at least 10 pounds heavier than Simmons was as a senior in 2020.

“All the other linebackers are in that 6-2, 230 range,” Simmons said. “Guys are big, guys are taller. Guys are really fast. I would say just about everybody in our room can run.”

Haladay (6-1, 230, R-Jr., Elysburg, Pa.) was voted second-team All-Big Ten by coaches and media last year after leading the Big Ten in tackles per game (10.0). 

Simmons was a teammate of Haladay’s in 2020. Now, Simmons helps oversee him as part of the Michigan State coaching staff.

“It feels like I’ve been gone longer than a couple of years but it hasn’t been long at all,” Simmons said. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that I played with.

“I was a teammate for some of these guys at one point and now I’m their coach. It was a little bit of an adjustment. But the good thing is that a lot of those guys were really young when I was on my way out. At that time, I was an older guy, I was pretty rooted into the program so they kind of looked up to me at that time and hopefully I’m doing enough for them to continue to look up to me and trust.”

Haladay definitely sees Simmons that way.

“It’s really cool to have him here because he’s a guy I looked up to and respected,” Haladay said. “He taught me a lot even though it was that short COVID season. 

“We were teammates so we were basically brothers and we’re still brothers and I know he’ll push me whether I like it or not. So it will be a good relationship.”

Simmons has the mindset that everyone from the seniors to the freshmen to Tucker himself can appreciate.

“I’m looking at the game and our team and our program from a completely different perspective,” Simmons said. “When i was here before, it was from a player’s perspective. It was waking up, providing my value through working out, playing on the field, keeping the team together. Now it’s working with Coach Hazelton or working with Coach Els or Coach Salgado, whoever needs help or assistance, or players that need to watch film. I’m just being a Swiss Army knife, providing value wherever I can.”