West Virginia Mountaineers: Commitment 101: Elijah Simmons

The West Virginia Mountaineers football program added more ammunition on the defensive front with a commitment from Garden City C.C. (Kan.) defensive lineman Elijah Simmons.

Simmons, 6-foot-2, 280-pounds, is coming off a season where he recorded 21 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack for the Broncbusters.

The Charlotte native picked West Virginia over offers from North Texas, Southern Mississippi, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Sam Houston State, among others.

Simmons is set to graduate in May and started his career at Kent State where he spent a season before he entered the transfer portal and signed with Garden City.

Simmons was recruited by defensive coordinator Zac Alley and is set to play three technique.

Simmons has two years remaining.

WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Simmons and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.

Skill set:

Simmons has excellent size and good ball get off displaying good feet and nice burst. He plays strong up front and shows the ability to shed blockers and record tackles or cause disruption.

Plays with good leverage and is able to get into the backfield with his combination of size and strength. Simmons is equipped with a good motor and shows the ability to run plays down from his spot up front.

Fitting the program:

Simmons gives West Virginia some more depth along the defensive line and started his career at Kent State before heading to the junior college level. Simmons was recruited by defensive coordinator Zac Alley and committed following a visit to campus so there is a clear comfort level there.

Simmons has two years remaining and that means he will not only have a chance to make an impact this coming season but in the future as well as the defensive line takes shape.

Recruiting the position:

The West Virginia Mountaineers now have added an interior defensive lineman to a haul that has addressed many different spots across the roster. The possibility of adding help at any spot isn’t off the board at this stage and it’s clear that the coaching staff is looking to replenish the roster as much as possible.

The Mountaineers could still add another defensive linemen if the right fit is out there and at this stage it would be wise to bet against any position being addressed.

----------

• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe

•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok