Longhorns Country

Micah Parsons Reacts to Texas Longhorns Star Changing Jersey Number

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons no longer shares a jersey number with one of the best players on the Texas Longhorns.
Zach Dimmitt|
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images | Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

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AUSTIN -- Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons appears to see some of himself in Texas Longhorns sophomore Colin Simmons.

As a result, he was admittedly a bit bummed out when he found out that Simmons will no longer be wearing the No. 11 jersey that he and Parsons both share as elite pass rushers.

Simmons, who won the Shaun Alexander Award as the top freshman in college football this past season, will instead wear No. 1 during the 2025 campaign. He's one of many Longhorns that have switched numbers during spring practice.

Colin Simmons
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Colin Simmons (11) celebrates after a pass break up during the third quarter of the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Parsons has worn No. 11 since his Penn State days and was "sad" about Simmons' decision to make the change.

"You took off the 11?" Parsons wrote on X with a few sad face emojis.

"11 at heart," Simmons wrote back to Parsons. "(You know) I gotta go down my own path."

Take a look at the post:

Simmons has often been compared to Parsons due to their shared position and similar skill set as powerful yet speed pass rushers. The No. 11 jerseys made the comparison even easier to make, but now, Simmons is taking on a different identity.

Simmons expected to be one of the top defensive players in college football next season and is well on his way to a NFL career. He finished his freshman year with 48 total tackles (31 solo), nine sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass breakups and one interception.

Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner met with the media Thursday and said that Simmons has been giving the offense tons of trouble so far in spring practice, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise.

"Colin Simmons, man," Wisner said. "It's like you can never get away from Colin, he's a great player. I respect Colin a lot because he's one of those players that gets us going, he talks smack and that's what we need at practice. We need someone to come through, rough us up and then talk smack about it, so he makes us better at the end of the day."

Simmons will get his first chance to show off the No. 1 jersey when the Longhorns open up the regular season against Ohio State in Columbus on Aug. 30.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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