Colin Simmons

#1 · EDGE · Texas6′3″ · 246 lb · Dallas, TX · Duncanville

15.5 tackles for loss in 6 games; their best was 5 at Tennessee.
vs Texas State: 0.5 tackles for loss, W0.5WTXSTvs Ohio State: 2 tackles for loss, W2WOSUvs UTSA: 1 tackle for loss, W1WUTSAat Tennessee: 5 tackles for loss, W5W@TENNOklahoma: 3 tackles for loss, L3LOUvs Florida: 4 tackles for loss, L4LFLA
vs Texas State: 0.5 tackles for loss, W0.5WTXSTvs Ohio State: 2 tackles for loss, W2WOSUvs UTSA: 1 tackle for loss, W1WUTSAat Tennessee: 5 tackles for loss, W5W@TENNOklahoma: 3 tackles for loss, L3LOUvs Florida: 4 tackles for loss, L4LFLA

2026 games, tackles for loss per game. W and L: the team’s results.

This week

What’s being said

7 stories this week, from 7 outlets.

Oct 29: 1Oct 30: 3Nov 2: 1Nov 3: 2W 31-3 vs Mississippi StateWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 3
Oct 29: 1Oct 30: 3Nov 2: 1Nov 3: 2W 31-3 vs Mississippi StateWOct 29Nov 4Most in a day: 3
Stories per day. W and L: the team’s results.

All 152 stories this season

Worth knowing

  • Colin Simmons was first-team All-SEC in 2025.

His most important play this season

  1. Q3, 7:23 · Tennessee down 3Colin Simmons sacks Faizon Brandon for an 8-yard lossTexas at Tennessee, week 4Q3, 7:23 · Tennessee 10, Texas 13▼8%Tennessee’s chance to win, 41% to 33%▼8%Tennessee’s chance to win, 41% to 33%F.Brandon sacked for loss of 8 yards to the TENN37 (C.Simmons)Watch from this playESPN College Football

All 6 of his plays on video

The story

As of

Simmons arrived as the nation's top edge recruit and hit immediately: Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year in 2024 with nine sacks, then a sophomore leap that led the SEC outright — 12 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and a sack in each of his last five regular-season games. He's a consensus All-American and, by the way, still a teenager.

Read the rest of the story

On a Texas team built around Arch Manning's Heisman push, Simmons is the quiet half of the title case — the disruptor who makes a championship defense go, maturing now into a vocal leader as well as a sack artist.

The forward stakes are simple and large: a third dominant season cements him as the best edge rusher in college football and a likely top draft pick, and gives Texas the pass rush a national title usually requires. The only question is whether the league has figured out how to block him — because through two years, it hasn't.

So far in 2026 Simmons has nine sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss among 16 tackles, plus a fumble recovery.

Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Texas lost 27-24 to Florida as a 13.5-point favorite on Oct. 17, then beat No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 on Oct. 24 and is 5-2, No. 11 in the AP poll. Simmons has 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss among 24 tackles in six games, with 8 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and a sack against Florida.

Style of play

Style of play

Play style

Simmons wins with the first step. He's a speed-to-power edge whose get-off forces tackles to open their hips early — and once they do, he's bending the corner or converting the rush back into their chest. The production isn't a hot streak: a sack in each of his last five regular-season games, three in one night against Kentucky, and an SEC-leading 12 for the year as a sophomore. What he's added is the part that scares coordinators most — he's pairing the burst with a plan, stringing pass-rush moves instead of running the same arc. The one thing left to round out is the run-game grind on early downs. But as a pure pass rusher, two years in, the SEC still hasn't found an answer — and that's the rare kind of problem a national-title defense is built on.

Similar players

Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.