In-state nose guard returning to Rocky Top for July cookout, names top 3
Following a strong camp performance, Elijah Simmons picked up a Tennessee offer last month, and the 3-star defensive tackle from Pearl Cohn (Tenn.) will make his way back to Rocky Top for the invite cookout at the end of the month.
Simmons holds just three big offers — UT, Memphis and Missouri — but the Vols really like his potential as a space-eating nose guard. The 6-foot-2, 343-pound Nashville native has begun developing a relationship with Tennessee’s defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
“They’re showing me a lot of love. They’re keeping in steady contact with me. I’m going to their cookout on the 28th,” Simmons said.
“Coach Rocker is making sure I’m staying on my Ps and Qs and stuff. Making sure I’m still working out and having a good summer. The communication started right after the camp and he’s been texting and calling me since then.”
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 fall. He performed well at UT, Memphis and Vanderbilt, with Missouri the first Power 5 school to extend a scholarship. Originally from Memphis, Simmons said both the Tigers and Vols have been on him the hardest in the last month during the dead period. He talks with both Rocker and area recruiter Terry Fair, with Tennessee’s staff telling “you would be a good addition to the DL as a big nose guard.”
“It’s really huge to get that invite. They have a lot of players that they’re recruiting and they decided to pick me, so that’s huge,” Simmons said.
“I want to go somewhere that’s going to take me to the next level. I want to go somewhere that I love and that they love me.”
Simmons grew up an LSU fan but he likely won’t wait around for the Tigers to show any interest. He hopes to commit by the end of the summer. He hasn’t outlined an exact timeline with his family yet, though, wanting to visit his Top 3 schools before making a decision.
“We’re going to Tennessee for the cookout and then more than likely I’m going to go back to Memphis. Then we just have to plan another time to go to Missouri,” he said.
“memphis and UT are all about communication. I like how they’re keeping in touch with me. That’s pretty huge, so it just depends on who is loyal.”