Uncommitted star guard Jordan Simmons of Crespi (Encino, Calif.) is lined up next to teammate Stephen Hutchinson in this photo. The big question about Simmons is which team he will line up with in college — and whether he will wear pink cleats.
File photo by Ian Tennant
You won't find too many similarities between on-the-field
Jordan Simmons and off-the-field Jordan Simmons.
Jordan Simmons is the No. 1 guard in theClass of 2012, according to recruiting expert TomLemming.
File photo by David Hood
On-the-field Simmons will loudly smash the opposition with his 6-foot-5, 328-pound body. He'll let them know that he's "the man" when he's protecting and paving the way for
Crespi (Encino, Calif.) ballcarriers. He'll punish opponents.
Off the field, the nation's No. 32 overall recruit and No. 1 guard in the Class of 2012 doesn't take the same approach. He's respectful. He's conscientious. He's quiet.
The off-the-field persona has always been there. The on-the-field part has developed rapidly, and it has grabbed the attention of the top college football programs across the nation as they try to woo a verbal commitment out of the undecided big man.
"I played varsity my freshman
year (at Dorsey High in Los Angeles) and everybody was more physical, so I had to adjust," said Simmons. "I was 14 going into my freshman year. I was a big dude and I was semi-tough. I didn't know what to expect out there. Being tough was the hardest part."
Toughness is now a part of Simmons' game. But it's attributes more associated with the skill positions that make him as good as he is. Simmons contributed on a Celts basketball team that won a game in the state playoffs and football coach Jon Mack touts his footwork more than he gushes over his bone-crushing strength.
"Jordan is an incredible athlete. He's very
nimble with great hands. He could play a lot of positions," said Mack, who has coached four different players who moved on to the NFL. "You take
a great athlete and you put him on the O-line and he can be dominant. His ability is what sets
him apart. He pushes
everything out of the way."
Jordan Simmons brings size and toughness to the field. Perhaps his greatest attribute is athleticism.
File photo by Ian Tennant
His talents scream for attention on the field. Off the field, you won't find Simmons making himself the center of attention. You'll simply find a young man being the best he can be, a young man who cares about the things that really matter.
All you have to do is look at the accessories he wears on the field.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins Saturday, and for all October games Simmons will be wearing pink cleats and accessories to honor his grandmother, who survived breast cancer. It's a quiet way of showing support for a cause that most teenagers have no concept of, and it's a microcosm of his overall demeanor.
"He's not real vocal. He takes things seriously but he sets things by example," Mack said. "He's
very mature, very comfortable with adults. He knows how to turn it on when the helmet
is on. But 'mean' is not how you describe him."
Committed is another word that you can't use to describe Simmons, because he hasn't made his college choice yet. Mack and his star offensive lineman have taken a step-by-step approach to the recruitment journey and they're currently down to a list of 15 possible schools.
His conscientious nature features prominently in how Simmons has chosen to deal with the mountains of letters and interest. Mack said once they came up with a Top 15, they respectfully alerted the other schools that did not make the list so that they could focus their efforts on other players. Ten more schools will get the same statement once Mack and Simmons pare the list down to the Top 5.
The current Top 15 includes (in no order): Miami, Auburn, California, Washington, UCLA, Georgia, Oklahoma, Arizona, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, SMU, Ohio State, Utah and TCU.
His decision won't be made according to the playbook, Mack said, due to his athleticism.
"He actually fits in anything, he can fit in any system. He really likes Oregon and USC, which are completely different systems," Mack said. "He's making a real educated decision. We call it 'The Dream' right now. Truthfully I see no reason why he won't play on Sundays."
When your coach says that you have the ability to play in the NFL some day, it can be easy to get an inflated sense of talent. That's high praise for a high school senior. But Simmons hasn't let that get to his head, yet another testament to his personality and maturity. Right now he's more interested in contributing to the team that holds the No. 72 national spot and No. 15 California spot in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings.
"Being at the top feels good, but you can never be satisfied. It's fun
but people don't know the hard work that follows right behind," he said.
"It gets annoying to me sometimes when people brag about me. I hold
myself to high standards."
The quiet young man from Crespi has found his niche on the field and off the field. The only mystery now is which college's field his talents will be displayed on in the coming years.
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