Only Shane Simmons Until Penn State Football

Shane Simmons, a redshirt sophomore defensive end this year, hasn’t had been at Penn State long but with just one year of playing time under his belt, he’s already shown up with great skills on the field.

Simmons, a four-year letter winner in high school, was a consensus 4 star recruit and one of the top defensive ends in the country when the Nittany Lions picked him up in 2016. That pedigree paid off with Simmons’ performance in 2017.

After taking a redshirt in 2016 to focus on speed and putting more than 30 lbs on his 6’3” frame, Simmons made an impressive 13 appearances in all games last year for the Nittany Lions. He started the season with about a tackle per game and ended with 15 total tackles (8 solo and 7 assists), 4.5 TFL, plus earned an honorable-mention to the All-Freshman Team by BTN.com.

During the Michigan State game, Simmons had one of his best collegiate performances with three tackles and his first career sack on Michigan State’s Brian Lewerke.

Quick on the pass rush, and with more muscle on his frame, and based on his agility and 2017 performance, some at Black Shoe Diaries think Simmons is poised to be Penn State’s breakout player of the 2018 season. Penn State fans will get the chance to see in less than 5 short weeks.