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Colin Simmons Could Make SEC History With Texas This Season Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons is within striking distance of one of the most prestigious records in college football.
Texas Longhorns defensive end Colin Simmons celebrates with the golden hat following the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connectwas the No.
28 high school recruit in the class of 2024 and has lived up to every bit of that billing in Austin.
He followed a phenomenal freshman season with a stellar sophomore campaign, amassing 91 tackles, six forced fumbles and 21 sacks across the two seasons.
Simmons' spotlight will be particularly bright next season, as he looks to cap off an elite career with an epic final hurrah.
While the ultimate goal will be winning a National Championship, there is another accomplishment Simmons is not far off from.A record which he has an even better chance at breaking thanks to the hiring of newTexas Longhorns defensive lineman Colin Simmons reacts after a fumble was recovered for a touchdown during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The SEC's current career sack record, held by Alabama's Will Anderson Jr., sits at just 34.5, meaning Simmons needs just 14 this year to take the crown.
While that is no easy feat, it is certainly achievable for someone who led the SEC with 12 sacks last season.The last time an SEC defender had at least 14 sacks was Anderson, who put up 17.5 in 2021.
Still, there are a lot of things going Simmons' way.
For one, he has the talent to pull it off.
Simmons is the platonic ideal of a pass-rusher: explosive, strong and bendy and pairs that natural ability with a great understanding of how offenses work and try to stop him.He will be among the 2027 NFL Draft's most prized prospects, increasing the urgency to get those 14 sacks.
Fortunately, the hiring of Muschamp will make the record that much more achievable.Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp watches on the sidelines during the 2010 BCS National Championship against the Alabama Crimson Tide | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Simmons played the first two years of his career under defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski, whose cautious defensive approach routinely gave Texas' opponents easy access to the quick passing game which can bail passers out of trouble when pressure mounts.
Now, he will be playing in the Muschamp system, which uses more aggressive coverages and does not give quarterbacks those easy outs.While Muschamp's defenses have not produced high individual sack counts in recent seasons, he was able to get big numbers out of Longhorns in his first stint with the team from 2008-2010.
Brian Orakpo and Sergio Kindle had 11 and 10 sacks respectively in the 2008 season alone.If Muschamp can scheme-up that kind of pressure for Simmons, Texas should claim one of the biggest SEC records in only their third year in the conference, especially if they can stack pass-rushing reps for him with a deep playoff run.
Carter Long is a sophomore Journalism and Sports Media student at the University of Texas at Austin.
He is also a general sports reporter for the Daily Texan on the baseball beat.
Long is from Houston and supports everything H-town.