Colin Simmons named the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year
Texas EDGE Colin Simmons has been named the Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club and Shaun Alexander announced on Thursday. The award is given annually to the top freshman in the nation. Simmons was one of five finalists.
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“We are excited to welcome (Colin) as our 7th Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Year Award winner,” Alexander said. “This was the closest race in the award’s history, and we know that we have picked a great winner. Colin is a perfect representative for the Shaun Alexander FPOY award – great talent, great character, great ambassador to the University of Texas, and we believe he is a legend, a future superstar in the NFL.”
“I was very excited when I found out. I was so excited, I couldn’t even let Mr. Alexander get his words out, and I had to hurry up and show my mother who was calling,” Simmons said. “It’s such an amazing honor, and I appreciate it so much. I want to thank my teammates and my coaches for helping me get to the position that I’m in right now and allowing me to play to the best of my abilities and grow as a person on and off the field. This really goes to them, too. I want to say thank you to Shaun Alexander for giving me the opportunity to be a finalist for this award, knowing the other finalists are great players from around the country, and most importantly, I want to give thanks to my family and to God.
“I had just pulled up to my auntie’s house for Christmas Day, and he called me and said, ‘You know what it means when I call you on Christmas Day.’ I was wondering what he was talking about, and then he told me I won. We had talked before because he talks to all of the finalists, and it means a lot that he takes his time and gets to know us outside of the uniform and that he cares so much and is so involved. For him to relate to me and gain a relationship through 30 minutes of his time, it was incredible. I appreciate it so much, and something like this just motivates you that much more. Regardless of the fact that I’m receiving this award, I still have things to work on, things to improve on, and I still have to get better each and every day.”
Though this award is relatively new, if the winners continue to become absolute studs it will become increasingly prestigious.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence won the award in 2018. Memphis running back and current Philadelphia Eagle, Kenneth Gainwell, won the award in 2019 after voters determined his last name checked out. Gainwell was followed by Will Anderson in 2020. Anderson of course is a household name due to his exploits in college and the NFL. Anderson was followed by Brock Bowers, Drake Maye, and Caleb Downs, who beat Texas linebacker Anthony Hill.
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Simmons’ win gives Texas yet another national award winner after Kelvin Banks won the Lombardi and Outland and Jahdae Barron won the Thorpe. Will all these individual awards be followed by a National Championship?
Simmons was a five-star recruit out of Duncanville (Texas) who chose the Longhorns over the LSU Tigers in a hotly contested recruitment. Despite the Horns bringing in Trey Moore from UTSA, Simmons was too good to keep off the field. The duo gave Texas a dynamic one-two punch at the Buck outside linebacker position.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder has logged 394 snaps so far and has made countless plays through both elite athleticism and rare effort. In that way, he does remind of freshman Will Anderson. This season, Simmons has 39 tackles, 13.0 for loss, and 8.0 sacks. He has forced three fumbles and has one interception.
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Simmons and the Longhorns will battle Arizona State in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 12 p.m. ESPN will air the contest.
Eric Nahlin contributed to this story.
