Colin Simmons Named One of College Football's 'Freakiest' Players

Texas Longhorns edge rusher Colin Simmons has lived up to every bit of his billing as a five-star recruit and the No. 5 player from Texas in the class of 2024. The true junior has racked up 21 sacks, 29.5 tackles for loss and seven takeaways while registering PFF pass-rushing grades of 90 and 91.7 in his two seasons with the Longhorns.

As good as he has already been, he should be even better in 2026, given that Texas hired long-time Southeastern Conference coach Will Muschamp to be his defensive coordinator and added players like Rasheem Biles and Bo Mascoe to the other levels of the defense in the transfer portal.

That hype has manifested into Simmons being named a pre-season first-team All-American and a member of the Bronko Nagurksi Award watchlist. It has also led to a more unique commendation.

Simmons Ranks 10th on Bruce Feldman's Annual 'College Football Freaks List'

Texas 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

Every season, the Athletic's Bruce Feldman puts out a 'College football Freaks List,' which details the sport's most uniquely athletic players. Simmons made his debut on the list this season, coming at No. 10.

"At 6-3, 246, with just nine percent body fat, Simmons is pound-for-pound the most explosive player on the Longhorns’ roster, according to Texas’ Director of Player Performance Torre Becton," Feldman wrote in the Athletic. "This offseason, Simmons performed a 335-pound power clean with a bar velocity of 1.4 meters per second, something Becton says is incredibly rare explosion with that much weight in that lift."

The theme of that blurb is explosion, a trait that Simmons has in spades. His 246 lb frame is nearly pure muscle, giving him a frightening suddenness.

That quick-twitch ability allows him to get out of his stance before opposing linemen can react and counter inside in an instant. Those skills, when combined with his bend around the edge and great instincts, make him nearly impossible to block.

Colin Simmons is the type of game wrecking edge rusher who could go #1 overall in 2027 pic.twitter.com/4U9fULjJfi
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) November 7, 2025

There is more that makes Simmons elite, however.

"Simmons’ motor is just as impressive as his explosiveness," Feldman wrote. "He’s been clocked at 20.22 mph, including in last year’s Red River Rivalry win over Oklahoma, when he hit 19.2 mph in the fourth quarter of that game."

Despite a 30% increase in his snaps from 2024 to 2025, Simmons showed no signs of slowing down, continuously terrorizing quarterbacks until the final whistle.

Colin Simmons is indeed a freak, and now that he is joined by a Texas roster that is more talented than ever, he might put up video-game numbers in 2026.

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