{"id":4638,"date":"2025-10-15T10:28:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/4638\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T10:28:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:28:07","slug":"longhorns-edge-rusher-colin-simmons-back-on-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/4638\/","title":{"rendered":"Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons back on track"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a breakout freshman year in 2024, Texas football <\/a>edge rusher Colin Simmons<\/a> didn\u2019t exactly shy away from the raised expectations during the\u00a0offseason.<\/p>\n

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Simmons told media back in the spring that he had switched jersey numbers from No. 11 to No. 1 because \u201cyou know, I\u2019m the one.\u201d He confirmed his ultimate personal goal of\u00a0surpassing 22\u00bd sacks<\/a> in 2025, which is the single-season record for Texas set back in 1982 by Kiki DeAyala. And he welcomed the extra attention of offenses, which would start to scheme against the 6-foot-2, 245-pound sophomore who had nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss while earning freshman All-American honors as a rotational pass rusher. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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But until the past few games, there was a lot more talk than tackles. Simmons had two solo stops<\/a> through the first three games of the season. A harmless half-sack against San Jose State accounted for his only tackle for loss.<\/p>\n

Simmons, a starter for the first time in his collegiate career, didn\u2019t panic with the lack of production. He kept grinding, kept rushing and kept to the plan. Over the past three games, he has racked up 10 total tackles, 4\u00bd tackles for loss and 3\u00bd sacks, including 2\u00bd in Saturday\u2019s\u00a023-6 win over Oklahoma.<\/a><\/p>\n

NO. 21 TEXAS AT KENTUCKY<\/p>\n

When\/where: 6 p.m. Saturday in Lexington, Ky.<\/p>\n

TV\/radio: ESPN; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM, 105.3 FM (Spanish)<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I\u2019m going be frustrated at not meeting the expectations that I put on myself before the season,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cBut it goes back to what I\u2019ve been saying: Patience, patience, patience.\u00a0I just feel like I’ve been being patient and let the game come to me. I feel like the first three games, I wasn’t letting the game come to me. I feel I was just attacking, trying to go get it, instead of just being patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MORE: Arch Manning: Texas quarterback shrugs off last week’s ‘flop’ article<\/a><\/p>\n

Patience paying off for Colin Simmons<\/p>\n

That patience is certainly paying off for Simmons and the Texas defense, which had its best game of the season against O<\/a>U. His performance against the Sooners earned him the SEC\u2019s defensive line player of the week award and also prompted the UT media relations staff to let Simmons back in front of microphones and cameras for the first time this season.<\/p>\n

Sure, the charismatic Simmons offers as good a soundbite as any player on the team. But without the stats to back up the smack, Simmons\u2019 confidence can come across as counterfeit.<\/p>\n

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But there\u2019s nothing fake about Simmons\u2019 impact on the game in recent weeks, said defensive back\u00a0Malik Muhammad.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns linebacker Colin Simmons (1) goes to tackle Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer (10) in the second quarter of the Red River Rivalry, as the Sooners play the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Oct. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n

Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

\u201cComing into the season from him having a tremendous freshman year, I’m sure he was feeling that pressure having to back up all the hype that’s being put on his shoulders,\u201d said Muhammad, who had two of the Longhorns\u2019 interceptions against Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

Defensive tackle Hero Kanu, who lines up alongside Simmons, says he is growing into the role as a starting defensive end instead of just an edge rusher that rotates in during passing situations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne thing about playing defense is do your job, and he’s doing his job at a high level right now,\u201d Kanu said. \u201cHe\u2019s staying patient and taking advantage of the situations. You have to sometimes let the plays come you, and he’s making those plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kanu then used the word that defensive coaches and players value above all others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI trust him every time,\u201d Kanu said. \u201cI mean, he\u2019s got the edge. I don’t even need to look over there. I know he\u2019s got it, I know he\u2019s being sound, and I know he\u2019s doing his job.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE: Texas football film study: Is caution key to success for Arch Manning, Longhorns offense?<\/a><\/p>\n

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Colin Simmons: Starting role comes with more responsibilities<\/p>\n

But how has Simmons\u2019 job changed as a full-time starter? For one, offenses now target his perceived weakness as a liability in the running game \u2014 a reality that Simmons embraces.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo I think teams are going to test me (against the run)?\u201d he said. \u201cCome on now, I\u2019m 6-2 and 245 pounds. Teams are going to test me. And I’m all here for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons has held up well against the run considering his size. His Pro Football Focus run grade of 78.1 ranks second among the team\u2019s edges and just behind Ethan Burke, who has four inches and 25 pounds on Simmons.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI feel like my run game is way more improved since last year,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cI feel like I emphasized stopping the run this year, getting off blocks. My run game as a whole, has improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a starter, Simmons also draws extra attention in pass-protection schemes. Adapting to the chips from a running back or a rolling pocket to the other side may have taken some time, but Simmons has again become a constant presence in the other team\u2019s backfield.<\/p>\n

GOLDEN: Going 3-1 in October is a must for Texas football’s razor-thin CFP path in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was getting doubled, and all the protection was going to him,\u201d Muhammad said. \u201cBut just him being able to get through all of that and just make plays and fight through that adversity, I think Colin\u2019s got another good one coming up this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simmons remains an elite pass rusher despite fighting through more double-teams, according to one of his teammates that has to face the edge rusher on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s just kind of like a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to his get-off of the ball,\u201d guard DJ Campbell said. \u201cMy mindset with him is get my hands on him before he can even do anything. But it kind of works, it \u00a0kind of doesn’t. He\u2019s just shifty. It\u2019s kind of like he’s out there playing basketball. He’s real, real dangerous when he’s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, can Simmons remain dangerous despite the extra attention as Texas embarks on a treacherous stretch of SEC play<\/a> that includes three road trips in the next four games, starting with Saturday\u2019s game at Kentucky<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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\u201cGetting more snaps and starting this year, there\u2019s kind of a red dot on me, especially with the expectations that I put on myself at the beginning of the season,\u201d he said. \u201cI just trust my coaches to put me in the right places to go out there and play the best that I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

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