The transfer portal is already humming with early entries and plenty of players have seen their stock quickly sky-rocket. Western Carolina offensive line transfer Derek Simmons is one of those players who have seen a flurry of offers come his way.
"Fifteen schools offered me on that first day," Simmons said. "The ones that made the biggest impact for me were Pitt. They were my first big offer. Then following that I got Houston, NC State, Michigan State and Duke. Those were the really big offers that kind of set me off. I got some Group of Five offers like Toledo, Western Kentucky and USF. Those big schools are kind of what put me in the race to where I am now."
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Simmons began his career at Tusculum University and played in just one game. He transferred to Abilene Christian for the 2021 season. Simmons transferred to Western Carolina the following season but had to sit out for a year because of transfer rules.
"Coach Geep Wade from Georgia Tech and I talk about life and he checks in on me everyday," he said. "That's just good conversation between him and I. I have a good relationship with coach Darveau from Pitt and coach James from Texas Tech.
"Right now I have three visits planned," said Simmons. "I have my first one to Texas Tech (Dec. 9-10), Pittsburgh (Dec. 12-13), and then Georgia Tech (date TBD). My decision probably won't happen until after my official visits."
Simmons has a vision for how he wants the process to play out.
"Right now I'm taking it all in and talking to my parents day by day," he said. "I have time to make these decisions. I don't want to shoot too fast and miss an opportunity that comes up later on. It's all a blessing. It's going to be about playing, atmosphere, the family environment throughout the whole building, how the players react to each other, and good relationships."
"I will say that every offer I've gotten, the relationships I have with all the coaches are awesome," Simmons said. "I've had good conversations with every school. Everybody is really respectful and they all like the way I play."
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