Former NFL quarterback Matt Simms on Ajani Sheppard: He is going to ‘be a very dynamic football player in the Big Ten Conference
Former NFL quarterback Matt Simms has been training Ajani Sheppard for nearly three years, giving him a chance to watch up close the development and growth of the Rutgers football quarterback.
Sheppard, who committed to Rutgers football last fall, is currently enrolled for spring practice with the Big Ten program.
Now a quarterback trainer, Simms got connected with Sheppard via Darius Wilson. Currently at William & Mary, Wilson was the starting quarterback at Iona Prep prior to Sheppard. Wilson approached Simms about bringing Sheppard, saying “He’s got a lot of potential but he has no idea what he is doing.”
After a training session, Simms was impressed and excited to work with Sheppard.
“Really the entire process of his development has been pretty awesome to see through the years. You could say that Ajani, when I first met him, was one of those guys that was extremely raw, and just an unfiltered talent, where you can see he was a great athlete,” Simms told Rutgers Wire.
“He moved well, he had a flexible arm. And you could see that he was someone that was going to progressively grow into a D1 caliber type of body, right? And that’s because you meet his father and you know that his brother played at Ole Miss – he had a lot of that untapped potential to him if he dedicated his life to it.
“And he has and it’s been really cool to see that acceleration each and every year of his growth at the position. And as cliche as it sounds, he is one of those dudes that just has got a smile on his face. He’s charismatic, he’s never too low. And he just is a constant pro at just improving incrementally over time. And those are the players that at the end of the day usually shine brightest on game day.”
Last fall, Shappard was committed to Old Dominion before de-committing and flipping to Rutgers. He also had offers from Air Force, Army and UConn as well as several MAC programs.
As a senior, Sheppard was impressive, throwing for 2,393 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Related
Rutgers football: Last year's injury helped Mohamed Toure come back with a new perspective
Simms, who played seven seasons in the NFL and is best known for his time with the New York Jets, believes that Sheppard can and will continue his development this spring at Rutgers.
“He’s a guy that with a little bit more experience, he’s going to be, I think, someone that can be a very dynamic football player in the Big Ten Conference. And I really truly believe that because the Iona Prep offense is, for a high school offense, not the easiest offense to run and command for young men,” Simms said.
“They just had the fortunate advantage of having a gentleman like Darius Wilson before him who was extremely talented and is at the FCS level, playing and performing extremely well.
“And then having Ajani who is extremely talented. And he’s someone that was relied upon as a runner a little bit more in high school because it’s easy to do that sometimes when you’re 6-foot-2, 235 pounds and run a 4.5 but he is definitely going to show some people that he has more than enough talent, to be a great passer in the Big Ten. And to be a great leader on that football team too just by the way that he carries himself.”
