admscout
- Position Defensive Line
- Class Redshirt Senior
- Ht./Wt. 6-2 / 340
- Hometown Nashville, TN.
- Highschool Pearl-Cohn HS
CAREER
Strong, imposing interior defensive lineman with incredible athleticism for his size … In his sixth and final collegiate season …Has seen action in 46 games and made six starts during his career … Totaled 52 career tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and three pass breakups during his time at UT … Originally from Memphis but moved to Nashville where he enjoyed a stellar high school career … Graduated from Tennessee in December 2023.
2024 – RS-SENIOR
Made a big play early in the game at #15 Oklahoma (9/21), setting the tone with a tackle for loss on the first play from scrimmage … Served as a captain in win vs. #24 NC State (9/7), playing 11 snaps on the defensive line … Was extremely disruptive up front, posting three total tackles and a half tackle for loss in the season opener vs. Chattanooga (8/31).
2023 – RS-SENIOR
Played in nine games, recording career highs with 19 tackles and three tackles for loss … Did not start any contests … Logged two tackles and 0.5 sacks in the Citrus Bowl win vs. No. 17 Iowa (1/1) … Made three tackles and added a half-tackle for loss in the regular season finale vs. Vanderbilt (11/25) … Played 36 defensive snaps in his 40th career game in loss to No. 1 Georgia (11/18), posting one tackle … Had three total tackles and added one TFL in loss at No. 14 Missouri (11/11) … Made a season-high four tackles in Homecoming win over UConn (11/4) with one TFL and one pass breakup … Logged one assisted tackle in road victory at Kentucky (10/28) … Had two assisted tackles at No. 11/8 Alabama (10/21) … Played 18 defensive snaps and posted a pair of solo tackles in win over Texas A&M (10/14) … Made season debut vs. South Carolina (9/30) and saw action on 13 defensive snaps, recording one assisted tackle … Missed the first four games of 2023 due to injury.
2022 – RS-JUNIOR
Played in all 13 games in a reserve role at defensive tackle … Notched eight total tackles and one tackle for loss … Logged his eighth tackle of the year with a solo stop in the regular season finale at Vanderbilt (11/26) … Saw action on 12 defensive snaps and had a tackle in the win over Missouri (11/12) … Played eight snaps on the defensive line and logged one assisted tackle in the victory over No. 19 Kentucky (10/29) … Collected a pair of solo tackles in UT’s victory over No. 20 Florida (9/24) … Played 12 defensive snaps and recorded one assisted tackle in road win at No. 17 Pitt (9/10) … Saw action as a reserve defensive tackle in season-opening win vs. Ball State (9/1), posting two solo stops and one TFL over 16 defensive snaps.
2021 – RS-SOPHOMORE
In a season limited by injury, played in seven games and totaled 11 tackles and 1.5 TFLs … Started the first four games of the year – Bowling Green, Pitt, Tennessee Tech and Florida … Saw brief action vs. top-ranked Georgia (11/13), taking the field for nine defensive snaps … Returned to action at No. 18 Kentucky (11/6) and played 19 defensive snaps, registering a career-high five total tackles against the Wildcats … Notched one TFL at Mizzou (10/2) … Collected his first career half-tackle for loss and quarterback hurry on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter at No. 11 Florida (9/25) … Made three tackles in his second start of the season vs. Pitt (9/11) … Started at DT in season opener vs. Bowling Green (9/2), logging one pass breakup in the first quarter.
2020 – RS-FRESHMAN
Played in all 10 games and made two starts at nose tackle, totaling 10 tackles and one pass breakup for the season … Made a pair of tackles at Arkansas (11/7) and one tackle at No. 23 Auburn (11/21) … Made a season-high four tackles at No. 3 Georgia (10/10) … Started his second straight game and recorded one tackle in win over Missouri (10/3) … Made his first-career start and tackle in Vols’ season-opening win at South Carolina (9/26).
2019 – FRESHMAN
Redshirted … Saw action in three games … Played at Missouri (11/23) … Saw action in the goal line package in the Vols’ win at Kentucky (11/9) … Made his Tennessee debut in the win vs. Chattanooga (9/14).
HIGH SCHOOL
One of Tennessee’s top prospects and a consensus three-star recruit out of Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville … 2018 Region 5-3A Defensive MVP … 2017 All-Region 5-3A defensive team selection … Recorded 141 total tackles during his high school career, including 13 tackles for loss … Helped Pearl-Cohn win a Regional Championship all four years he was in high school … Had a 55-yard pick-six as a senior … Won state titles in the shot put (49-10.5) and discus (146-8) at TSSAA Small Class Track & Field Championships as a junior … Repeated as state champion in the shot put (53-00) as a senior and finished second in the discus (144-11).
PERSONAL
Full name is Elijah Well Simmons … Born on July 26, 2001, in Memphis but moved to Nashville as an eight-year-old … Son of Eric Simmons and Stephanie Halliburton … Earned his undergraduate degree in communication studies from Tennessee in December 2023 … Video of him dunking a basketball and then making a full court basket went “viral” in the spring of 2019 … Appeared on stage at the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville as one of the city’s top high school players … Is also a talented singer … Favorite song to sing was “Amazing Grace” and is also an avid Boyz II Men fan … Grew up singing in choir and was a member of high school a cappella group called the Fab Five … Started playing football at the age of five as a member of the Pee-wee Patriots … Played running back in middle school but moved to defensive line at Pearl-Cohn High School … Models his game and watches NFL standouts Aaron Donald and Geno Atkins … Recipient of the Ken Smith Auto Parts Endowment and the General Bob Neyland Endowment … X and Instagram handle is @901_hollywood_e.
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