101 Days of BC Football: Justin Simmons, #27

Boston College didn’t reach into the deepest portions of the South very much when putting together their 2012 class, but when they did, one of the newcomers they found was Justin Simmons.

Simmons, of Stuart, FL (near Port St. Lucie), played football in his pre-BC days for Martin County High School. While there, he was a defensive back playing corner and/or safety, and also appeared as a wide receiver, making him yet another incoming recruit to have appeared on both sides of the football in high school. That’s not so uncommon, but we have guys who were actually productive in each role. Back to Simmons: he had 80 tackles and four picks in his senior year on defense, and on offense, he netted almost 500 receiving yards with five touchdowns. His strong performance for the Tigers got him Scripps Newspapers’ All-Area Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 2011 season. The list of accolades for Simmons goes on strongly from there.

He received a number of offers, though only a few were from BCS-conference programs; Boston College was the only ACC team on the list. Simmons was offered by BC, FIU, Georgia State, Illinois, Presbyterian, Purdue, and Western Michigan. Our erstwhile wide receiver coach, Ryan Day, sealed his commitment.

Simmons’ recruiting ratings were three stars by Rivals and two by ESPN, Scout, and 24-7. His scouting report speaks of a guy who is not flashy or explosive, but is consistent.

He is tall and lean at 6-3 and 175. All indications are that Simmons has adequate enough speed and ability to make plays on the football to be successful as a BC Eagle. The possibility exists, even if only marginally, for freshman defensive backs not to redshirt this year, but as for Simmons, there is no solid indication one way or the other.