Simmons Selected to Participate in 2019 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge
January 25, 2019 | Football
by Brandon Langlois, Associate Director/Communications
CHICAGO – All-American Mississippi State defensive tackle and No. 4 overall prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft by ESPN's Todd McShay, Jeffery Simmons was selected Friday to participate in the 2019 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 21st edition of the event will air on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT on Feb. 1.
The skills competition will feature 24 players divided into six teams based on their college conference. Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete in a series of skills competitions. The conferences represented are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called the "Wild Card" team.
Each player will individually participate in a timed event, and then finish with a full team event. All events will be timed and have individual winners, which will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team.
Individual events in the All-Star Football Challenge include: the State Farm QB Accuracy Competition, the Hands Competition, the Quicken Loans Lineman Strength Challenge and the Mercedes-Benz Obstacle Course. To conclude the program, the players will compete as teams in the State Farm Team Competition.
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include 75 first-round NFL Draft picks, including 36 Pro Bowlers.
Simmons, from Macon, Mississippi, closed the 2018 season with the No. 4 overall grade (91.6) and No. 3 run-defense grade (93.2) among defensive interior linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. He racked up 17 tackles for loss, good for fourth in the Southeastern Conference and tied for third in MSU single-season history.
For his career, Simmons totaled 163 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and three blocked kicks. He ranks sixth in MSU career history in tackles for loss.
The following players were selected to participate in the All-Star Football Challenge:
Team ACC
Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
Ryan Finley, QB, NC State
Julian Love, DB, Notre Dame
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Team Big Ten
Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan
Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State
Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State
Team Big 12
Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State
Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State
Kyle Kempt, QB, Iowa State
Charles Omenihu, DE, Texas
Team Pac-12
Greg Gaines, DT, Washington
N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
Jalen Jelks, DE, Oregon
Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
Team SEC
AJ Brown, WR, Ole Miss
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn
Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
Team "Wild Card"
Carl Granderson, DE, Wyoming
Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo
Anthony Jonson, WR, Buffalo
Oshane Ximines, LB, Old Dominion
CHICAGO – All-American Mississippi State defensive tackle and No. 4 overall prospect for the 2019 NFL Draft by ESPN's Todd McShay, Jeffery Simmons was selected Friday to participate in the 2019 State Farm All-Star Football Challenge at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 21st edition of the event will air on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT on Feb. 1.
The skills competition will feature 24 players divided into six teams based on their college conference. Each team will consist of four players from the same conference that will compete in a series of skills competitions. The conferences represented are the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac-12, the SEC, and four of the best players outside of the Power Five that will be called the "Wild Card" team.
Each player will individually participate in a timed event, and then finish with a full team event. All events will be timed and have individual winners, which will compile into a cumulative score to determine the winning team.
Individual events in the All-Star Football Challenge include: the State Farm QB Accuracy Competition, the Hands Competition, the Quicken Loans Lineman Strength Challenge and the Mercedes-Benz Obstacle Course. To conclude the program, the players will compete as teams in the State Farm Team Competition.
Alumni of the All-Star Football Challenge include 75 first-round NFL Draft picks, including 36 Pro Bowlers.
Simmons, from Macon, Mississippi, closed the 2018 season with the No. 4 overall grade (91.6) and No. 3 run-defense grade (93.2) among defensive interior linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. He racked up 17 tackles for loss, good for fourth in the Southeastern Conference and tied for third in MSU single-season history.
For his career, Simmons totaled 163 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and three blocked kicks. He ranks sixth in MSU career history in tackles for loss.
The following players were selected to participate in the All-Star Football Challenge:
Team ACC
Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
Ryan Finley, QB, NC State
Julian Love, DB, Notre Dame
Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson
Team Big Ten
Devin Bush, LB, Michigan
Rashan Gary, DT, Michigan
Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State
Amani Oruwariye, CB, Penn State
Team Big 12
Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State
Justice Hill, RB, Oklahoma State
Kyle Kempt, QB, Iowa State
Charles Omenihu, DE, Texas
Team Pac-12
Greg Gaines, DT, Washington
N'Keal Harry, WR, Arizona State
Jalen Jelks, DE, Oregon
Gardner Minshew, QB, Washington State
Team SEC
AJ Brown, WR, Ole Miss
Jarrett Stidham, QB, Auburn
Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama
Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
Team "Wild Card"
Carl Granderson, DE, Wyoming
Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo
Anthony Jonson, WR, Buffalo
Oshane Ximines, LB, Old Dominion
Players Mentioned
DT
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