REACTION: Jerome Simmons Bringing Starter-Level Skillset To Columbia

South Carolina's Football program secured the pledge of JUCO DT Jerome Simmons on Monday, a player who possesses multiple likable traits.

Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks got plenty of good news yesterday on the recruiting front, securing a commitment from Coastal Carolina transfer and wide receiver Jared Brown and junior college defensive tackle Jerome Simmons. Simmons was the first domino to fall for the Gamecocks. While his pledge might be flying a bit under the radar due to all the attention the transfer portal is drawing, he's a lineman who could make an impact for Carolina in the near future.

What is defensive tackles coach Travian Robertson getting in the Palmetto State native?

A Kid With A Mean Streak

When you play in the trenches for 60 minutes, sometimes you've just got to have an attitude about yourself and how you're gonna dominate the next player you come across. Jerome is a guy who displays this when tackling ball carriers in rush defense, and if you don't believe me, go watch his Hudl highlights, as the first clip will show him suplexing a running back WWE-style. Now, you don't want to see that on every play, but it should give fans a good idea of what kind of mentality Simmons brings to the field as a defensive lineman.

A Rare High Motor

In the game of football, you'll find plenty of stereotypes and characterizations that are attached to certain positions. For a player like Jerome, who's a 6'3, 330-pound nose tackle, most fans would expect him to be a guy who would look to 'eat up space' in the middle to allow a second-level defender free reign to get in on the action, but Simmons doesn't operate in that manner. The junior college product is a guy who's always looking to shed blocks and get directly involved in the play, and he has the athleticism to accomplish that more often than not. It's something that's sparsely seen in nose tackle prototypes, but Jerome isn't your prototypical nose tackle.

Potential In Technique

One of the last things that stood out to me when watching Jerome Simmons' film from Highland Community College is his use of his hands to create separation between himself and blockers in the run game. The only downside to his technique is that he stands tall too often, relying on the size and athleticism advantage he's likely had since high school. If Simmons can learn how to use leverage, along with his hand movement, he could become a true force in the middle of the Gamecocks' defensive front.

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