 As a sophomore, he set the Tigers' record for tackles in a season (178) en route to being named an All-American, and earning another first-team All-ACC selection.Simmons became one of the premier players in the nation as a junior, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.He led both Clemson and the ACC in tackles (158) and tackles for loss (25) en route to a third-consecutive first-team All-ACC selection.