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Texas EDGE Colin Simmons: "I’m just getting started"

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•09/15/24•

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Colin Simmons
Colin Simmons (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

A six-tackle night against UTSA with 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack might make you think Colin Simmons is accustomed to college football through three career games. Even he would tell you that’s not the case.

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“Honestly, I’m just getting comfortable,” Simmons said Saturday night. “I’m just getting started. That’s the crazy thing. I’m just now getting started bro. The more comfortable I get in college football, it’s the best. I’ve got a lot in me.”

Simmons, the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2024 class and the No. 2 EDGE, has looked more and more like a five-star prospect as the No. 1 Texas Longhorns’ season passes the quarter pole.

Simmons notched two tackles against Colorado State and made quality plays in coverage, but most of his snaps came while Texas deployed specialty pass-rush packages.

He recorded his first career sack against Michigan in the Big House, showcasing the quarterback hunting skills that made him one of the most highly sought-after recruits in Texas in the 2024 cycle.

Then Saturday against UTSA, he finished second on the team in tackles and made the most of not just specialty opportunities, but standard down snaps. The slow build-up wasn’t easy for Simmons, but it’s helped him be a threat to opposing offensive lines just three games into his Longhorns career.

“It honestly did, and it humbled me too,” Simmons said of starting his career in specialty packages. “I can’t just be a pass-rusher. I’ve got to stop the run, too. Being a versatile player is going to make me be up there in the draft one day.”

Even with that humbling, Simmons arrived at Texas with an advanced skill set and a strong desire to improve his game. He credited that to his time at Duncanville High School under legendary head coach Reginald Samples.

So why did Simmons choose Texas from Duncanville? He saw an extremely similar culture that would help him achieve his goals.

“That’s why I’m here,” Simmons said.

How good of a pass-rusher does Simmons think he can be?

“Like no other,” Simmons said.

Does he compare himself to any NFL player or model his game after any of the greats?

“I always want to be my own player at the end of the day,” Simmons said. “I always want to stand out and be the best. I could say Micah Parsons or Von Miller. I like them too.”

Those are lofty aspirations, but Simmons is confident in his ability to reach and even exceed them just three games into his Longhorn career.

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“I can be great,” Simmons said. “Amazing. Awesome. Victorious.”

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