Traye Simmons (born January 18, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

. He attended

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, as a member of the 2010 graduating class. Shortly after the draft ended, Simmons joined the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

Biography

Early life

Simmons was born in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

then later moved to

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

early in his childhood. He was introduced to athletics early in his life involving himself in football, track, basketball & baseball.

High school years

Simmons prepped at Marietta High School. In Simmons junior campaign, he recorded 38 tackles and a school record nine interceptions as a junior earning him first-team all-Cobb County and honorable mention all-state honors. He helped lead the Blue Devils to an 11–1 record and a Region 5-A championship as a senior. Recording five interceptions on the season while being named first-team all-Cobb County by the

Marietta Daily Journal The ''Marietta Daily Journal'' (MDJ) is a daily newspaper published in Marietta, Georgia. It has a daily paid circulation of approximately 17,000 copies, and covers local, national and international news. It is the primary local newspaper of C ...

. Simmons also was an honorable mention Class 5-A all-state selection by the Georgia Sports Writers Association and was named the Cobb County Touchdown Club Defensive Back of the Year. Simmons was also a decorated track and field star earning letters in track from a freshman to senior years. During the 2004 Georgia state track meet, Simmons finished 4th in the 400m dash finals.

Junior College Career

Simmons played two seasons at

College of the Sequoias College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California. The college is named for the Giant Sequoia trees native to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range. History College of the Sequoias was originally esta ...

. His freshman year, Simmons appeared in eight games as a freshman, recording 23 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage, and three pass break-ups. His sophomore season he totaled 29 tackles, including four for losses, in nine games as a sophomore in 2007. He also was credited with six pass break-ups and had six punt returns for 96 yards (16.0 average) on special teams. Simmons earned first team All-Valley Conference and JUCO all-American honors as a defensive back.

College career

Simmons was a star at the University of Minnesota in the two years he was there. The talented transfer jumped right into the Gophers’ starting lineup and helped to solidify the secondary in the first year. He emerged as one of the Big Ten's top cornerbacks, earning second team all-conference honors from both the league's coaches and media behind 2009 first round Big Ten corners

Malcolm Jenkins Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is a former American football safety who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State, earning consensus All-American honors, and winning the Jim ...

and

Vontae Davis Vontae Ottis Davis (born May 27, 1988) is a former American football cornerback who played for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was draf ...

. Simmons was fifth in the Big Ten with four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown and added 14 pass breakups to lead the conference in passes defended and rank fifth nationally with 18. His senior year Simmons had 33 tackles, 2 interceptions, 8 pass breakups and a returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown. Simmons earned honorable mention all-conference for his senior campaign.

References

External links

Minnesota Golden Gophers football bioSan Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Traye 1987 births Living people Players of American football from Marietta, Georgia American football cornerbacks Minnesota Golden Gophers football players San Diego Chargers players