Mississippi State DT wins Conerly Trophy
Mississippi State is home to one of the best defenses in all of college football thanks in large part to Jeffrey Simmons. Tonight, MSU’s anchor on the defensive line validated his place as the best player on that defense and as the best player in the entire state.
Simmons is the recipient of the 23rd annual C-Spire Conerly Trophy, going to Mississippi’s top college football player annually.
The junior nose guard dethrones Ole Miss wide receiver AJ Brown, who won the 2017 award as a sophomore.
This season, Simmons led all SEC defensive lineman with 59 tackles, 24 of those being solo, and according to Pro Football Focus, he’s the fourth-best run defender in the FBS with 28 stops, 22 total pressures, and 17 hurries.
Simmons is the first defensive player to win the award since 2010. “Like I said, winning it is big for my family, big for Mississippi State University. Just thankful for the fans as well, too. A lot of teams knew what type of player I am and I was coming out for my freshman and sophomore years, I got a lot of double teams this year and I still was able to put up production and stats.”
Simmons ends a run of two consecutive Ole Miss players winning the award. In 2018, MSU is leading the nation in touchdowns allowed with only 12, compared to the next best team at 19.
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