Spartans land four-star Antjuan Simmons

After spending nearly nine months on Ohio State’s commitment list, Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer four-star linebacker Antjuan Simmons revealed Saturday that he will stay closer to home, announcing his commitment to the Michigan State Spartans.

“I knew about a week ago and I committed Tuesday morning,” Simmons said. “It feels extremely good to have everything over and done with. It’s been a crazy 3-4 weeks that drove me and my family up a wall, so me and my family are very happy it’s all done.”

Simmons de-committed from Ohio State in late November. He had actually taken an official visit to Michigan State a couple weeks prior. That was his first official visit of the recruiting process, but in the immediate aftermath of the de-commitment Notre Dame, not Michigan State, had emerged as the favorite.

The Spartans kept on Simmons, however, and over the course of the dead period he began looking closer at the opportunity in East Lansing, deciding earlier this week it was the right one for him.

“It’s the right fit for me because the education part of it fits me for what I want to do regarding special education and Kinesiology,” Simmons said. “I get along (with) and know a lot of players on the team, so when I’m on campus or visiting I feel extremely comfortable.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Simmons was a two-way standout in high school as a running back and an outside linebacker. He will head to Michigan State to play on the defensive side of the football.

“I’ll have a similar role that I had in high school,” he said. “I’ll be able to play in the box, outside the box and all that good stuff.”

An first team all-state performer as a junior, Simmons battled injuries as a senior but still managed 73 tackles and two interceptions on defense, while rushing for 433 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 73 carries.