USC Football: OG Jordan Simmons Denied 6th Year Of Eligibility

The NCAA denied redshirt senior offensive lineman Jordan Simmons a sixth year of eligibility, ending his injury-plagued career with USC football.

USC is awaiting word on a number of star junior players who are considering leaving for the NFL, but the Trojans got disappointing news on another departure as redshirt senior guard Jordan Simmons revealed he was denied a sixth year of eligibility.

The redshirt senior took to Twitter to explain:

“For those that keep asking. The @NCAA did not grant me another year of eligibility to play,” Simmons wrote. “We tried everything to make it happen!”

After USC’s victory in the Rose Bowl, Simmons seemed to hint at the end of his college career, tweeting, “Thank you Trojan Family for an amazing 5 years! #RoseBowlChamp #FightON”

The player didn’t elaborate on the NCAA’s logic behind denying his petition for an extra year of eligibility on the grounds of lost time due to injury, but reviewing his career, it’s clear that the lineman has a right to be disappointed.

Simmons arrived at USC in 2012 and redshirted. He had had knee surgery during that first offseason, but still managed to earn USC’s Offensive Service Team Player of the Year award for the work he put in during the second half of the season.

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In 2013, Simmons was a back up for USC’s first seven games, but hurt his knee ahead of the Trojans’ match up with Utah, missing the final six contests.

Simmons spent most of the 2014 offseason recovering from the injury, but made it back in time to play in USC’s third game of the year against Boston College. The next week, he suffered yet another knee injury and missed the remaining 10 games.

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Returning in 2015, Simmons switched over to defense to help out the Trojans at the thin defensive tackle position, but missed eight games with a knee sprain. He played in exactly one game — the Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin — that season.

This past season, Simmons finally made it through the entire year, participating in all 13 contests back on the offensive line, while starting twice.

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All told, Simmons sat out 24 games during his Trojan career due specifically to injury. During three non-redshirt seasons at USC, he participated in nine total games. USC played 41 times during that span.

The Trojans could have used Simmons’ services in 2017. With both starting tackles graduating, USC’s offensive line will undergo shuffling as they try to fill those spots. Guard Damien Mama is also considering a move to the NFL, leaving another potential opening.