Transfer Josh Simmons' 'freaky athleticism' puts him on path to become OSU's left tackle
The past three months have been a whirlwind for Josh Simmons.
“That’s the perfect word,” he said.
Simmons transferred from his hometown San Diego State to Ohio State.
He switched from right tackle to left.
He has gone from just trying to learn the Buckeye culture and scheme to becoming the favorite to be a starter.
He even got a new nickname.
Simmons is still adjusting, even as he is starting to feel at home in Columbus.
“It feels like I just got here, got off my flight, like a week ago,” he said.
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When he arrived in early May, Simmons said he wasn’t even thinking about winning a starting job. He started for the Aztecs as a freshman last year but knew playing for the Buckeyes was a major step up. He just wanted to learn and develop as quickly as possible and let the rest take care of itself.
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Simmons diligently studied the scheme with offensive line grad assistant Mike Sollenne and was prepared when training camp started. The work paid off.
“He's a more mature guy,” said offensive line coach Justin Frye, who recruited Simmons as an assistant coach at UCLA. “When you get these guys from the transfer portal, they've known college football. He's been in a locker room. He's played in college football games, so I think the speed of the game for him is a little slower than for an actual rookie.”
Linemate Josh Fryar said the 6-5, 310-pound Simmons has made an impression with his "freaky athleticism."
“I saw him go up on a linebacker, and I was like, ‘God, that guy can move. I wish I had that movement,’” Fryar said.
Fryar played left tackle during the spring, with mixed results. Given Simmons’ emergence, Fryar has been moved to right tackle, where he mostly played last year as the line’s top backup.
Frye cautioned that he is still mixing and matching several players at tackle and center, but it is clear that OSU coaches and players are thrilled with what they’ve seen with Simmons.
“I love Josh Simmons,” senior guard Enokk Vimahi said. “Josh Fryar and I were here when he took his visit. Seeing his growth and him being a sponge … it's not easy transferring and going into a whole other offense. To see the levels of growth that he's taken in these two weeks of camp, it's been amazing.”
It’s even more so considering that Simmons said he has never played left tackle, which is responsible for protecting the quarterback’s blind side.
“Obviously, when you flip sides, it’s going to be an adjustment,” Simmons said. “But with the coaching staff and resources here, I know I’ll be able to do it.”
He said that going against Ohio State’s defensive ends has hastened the learning curve. If Simmons is not at his best, he knows he’ll get exposed. A year ago, he committed 17 penalties, the most in the country by an offensive tackle, though he said most were false starts.
Though Simmons is making a name for himself, it’s not necessarily the name he arrived with. With Josh Fryar and Josh Padilla already in the offensive line room, Simmons has been given a nickname to avoid confusion – Jimmy.
At first, Simmons believed it would be a nickname used only inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Then coach Ryan Day said that Simmons wanted to be called Jimmy, and it stuck – even though Simmons said he does prefer to be known as Josh off the field.
Simmons is grateful for the praise from his teammates and the way they quickly accepted him. He also understands the standard at Ohio State.
“I knew what type of program this was,” Simmons said. “I knew you’re going to have to really dive head-first into this and really empty the tank day in and day out, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Transfer Simmons on path to start at left tackle for Ohio State
