BREAKING: LARGE defensive tackle Elijah Simmons commits to Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee defensive tackle Elijah Simmons has felt good about Tennessee since he earned an offer during camp last month. He's taken his time and not rushed his decision and finally on Monday felt like the time was right to let everyone know he was a Vol.

"I had some conversations with my family and a few friends, I talked to God about it and prayed about it and that's where I felt I'm supposed to be," Simmons said recapping his decision.

So what made Tennessee the right fit? There was a combination of variables, but the staff made sure he knew that he was needed to help anchor the Vol defensive line.

"I chose Tennessee because I created great relationships with the coaches and mainly the defensive line coach," Simmons said. "They stayed in contact with me and made sure everything was going well and I really liked that. Coach (Tracy) Rocker is an easy going dude and he likes to stay in contact with his players."

Rocker, a former Outland Trophy winner, knows a few things about playing at a high level from the trenches. Tennessee doesn't currently have a true nose tackle, but that all changes with Simmons. He's explosive and powerful. This is a kid that started high school benching less than 150 pounds and currently pushes 410 pounds. Clearly he’s very strong and he’s also very competitive.

"He told me that he likes me at nose guard," Simmons said. "He thinks I can be beneficial to the defensive line. They liked the way I competed at camp. They don't have a player like me and there are a lot of players out there that have more stars or a better ranking, but they chose me. I guess that tells me a lot and they don't just got by rankings. They go by heart and how you play."

Family played a big role in this decision as Simmons has found a new football family. Credit the top Vol for working relationships and making an impact on those that matter around Simmons.

"Coach Pruitt created a good relationship with my dad and my coaches," Simmons said. "As long as my family is okay with it then I'm good with it too. My family liked what I can do in Knoxville. They thought it was a good environment to be in and a great program. It wasn't just football, but academic wise too."

Simmons recorded 49 tackles in 2017, but he didn’t see his recruitment start to get off the ground until camping at multiple colleges this summer. He performed well at UT, Memphis and Vanderbilt, with Missouri the first Power 5 school to extend a scholarship. He will be back in Knoxville after the dead period ends at the end of the month.

"I'm coming up and I look forward to spending time with the other commits," Simmons said. "We are going to continue to build and make Tennessee a winner again."

And in the short term, he'll get cranked up on his senior season at Pearl-Cohn where he hopes to help finish off his prep career in style.

Rivals.com ranks Simmons as a 3-star defensive tackle in the class of 2019.