If one buys into Pro Football Focus grades, Simmons had his highest-marked game against Minnesota (87.4) in Week 12. He only allowed three combined pressures in Ohio State’s final five regular season games.
“I think it was just awareness,” Simmons said of the jump he took. “The other thing is chemistry, knowing how (left guard Donovan Jackson) plays and the communications and how everything works. And really just understanding football, how defensive linemen work. You’re going against the best of the best, (defensive line coach Larry Johnson) and his Rushmen (in practice). I think that’s where it grew for me.”
Entering year two as the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle, Simmons is eager to take the next step in his development now that he’s had his feet on the ground in Columbus for a year. Ditto Ohio State’s entire front five.
“I think the game’s slowing down for him,” offensive line coach Justin Frye said. “Those mistakes that may have shown up or questions that he had through the fall and as we got going through the season, those are starting to erase a little bit, which is good.”
There were certainly rough patches for Simmons in his first season.
Not only was his first handful of games stacked with several lapses on the blocking front, but the penalty issues that plagued him at San Diego State – the school he transferred to Ohio State from in the summer of 2023 – continued their pestilence with his new team.
After being flagged 17 times in 2022 with the Aztecs, the most among the country’s offensive linemen, Simmons got hit with seven penalties in his first eight games as a Buckeye.
In a great sign of development, however, he only drew one flag in his final five contests of 2023, including none in November.
“Physically, obviously, you’ve gotta be ready, but mentally, that’s where you’ve gotta start tightening up a little bit,” Simmons said. “You start playing in those Notre Dame games, those Penn State games, you realize a penalty like that can destroy the whole game. Once you look at it through that lens, you know that those are a no-no, it can’t happen.”
“YOU START PLAYING IN THOSE NOTRE DAME GAMES, THOSE PENN STATE GAMES, YOU REALIZE A PENALTY LIKE THAT CAN DESTROY THE WHOLE GAME.”– JOSH SIMMONS ON HOW HE CORRECTED HIS PENALTY ISSUES