Simmons cleared by NCAA
8/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 23, 2003
Charleston, SC - BY JEFF HARTSELL Of The Post and Courier Staff
The NCAA cleared former Clemson quarterback Willie Simmons to play for The Citadel Friday afternoon, and not a moment too soon for football coach Ellis Johnson.
With the Aug. 30 opener against Charleston Southern a week away, Johnson and the Bulldogs can look forward to a normal week of practice without any doubts about who might or might not be available to play quarterback.
"I really wasn't concerned about the 'if' of the decision," Johnson said Friday. "I was more worried about the 'when' of when it might happen ... I was very concerned about it getting into our game preparation next week, and now that worry has been removed."
Said Simmons, "I'm just thankful that the NCAA took care of this early, so that we can go into next week without wondering, when is it going to happen, how is it going to affect reps in practice. Now, the coaches can sit down and break the quarterback situation down and get everything ready.
"It will make game week a lot smoother, and we can really just focus on Charleston Southern."
For Simmons, the decision by the NCAA's administrative review subcommittee on student-athlete reinstatement marked the end of suspenseful couple of weeks. Simmons, who started eight games for Clemson last year and earned a marketing degree in three years, decided in May to transfer to Florida A&M for his final season of eligibility, near his hometown of Quincy, Fla.
But Florida A&M's move from Division I-AA to I-A rendered Simmons ineligible, and his appeal for a waiver there was denied Aug. 11. Simmons decided then to enroll in graduate school at The Citadel. But because he had practiced at Florida A&M, he had to file another appeal NCAA clears Simmons to play for Citadel for a waiver of the one-time transfer rule, which allows players to transfer one time from a I-A school to a I-AA member.
Without the NCAA's approval, Simmons' college career would have been over.
"It takes a lot of pressure off me, and off my family," he said. "They were just as involved in this as I was. It feels good to know that my mom and my family don't have to worry any more about my future."
Johnson would not go so far as to name Simmons as the starter against Charleston Southern, but said he's ahead of senior Justin Hardin and redshirt freshman James Reiter. Sophomore Kenwood Lattimore, a transfer from Cincinnati, has been hampered by a sore arm.
"There's no question he's a little bit ahead of the rest of them," Johnson said. "But there's also no question what we've been through has helped us at the quarterback position."
CITADEL AT A GLANCE
Head coach -- Ellis Johnson, 6-16 in two seasons at Citadel.
Johnson's career -- 11-22 in three seasons.
Record last year -- 3-9, 1-7 in SoCon.
Last SoCon title -- 1992.
Last playoff appearance: 1992, lost to Youngstown State in quarterfinals.
Stadium -- Johnson Hagood (21,000).
Returning offensive starters -- 9.
Returning defensive starters -- 8.
Offensive formation -- Multiple Pro-style.
Defensive formation -- 4-3.
Impact players -- QB Willie Simmons, WR Scooter Johnson, TB Nehemiah Broughton, OT Lew Dawson, SS T.J. Rose, PK/P Travis Zobel, DE Michael Ballentine.
Question marks -- Can former Clemson QB Willie Simmons lead the Bulldogs to more victories than ex-Auburn QB Jeff Klein did last season? Can TB Nehemiah Broughton find enough room behind an experienced line to better his 1,038 yards from last season? Can the Bulldogs' defense improve after allowing 28.2 points per game in 2002? Can The Citadel survive a four-game stretch of at Delaware, at Maryland, at Western Carolina and at App State and a three-game series of Furman, at Georgia Southern and Wofford?
THE CITADEL SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
Aug. 30 Chas. Southern 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 6 at Delaware 7 p.m.
Sept. 13 at Maryland 6 p.m.
Sept. 20 at W. Carolina 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 27 App State 2 p.m.
Oct. 4 Elon 2 p.m.
Oct. 18 Furman 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 25 at Ga Southern 1 p.m.
Nov. 1 Wofford 2 p.m.
Nov. 8 at Chattanooga 6 p.m.
Nov. 15 vs. VMI (Charlotte) 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 at E. Tenn. State 1 p.m.
