Cody Simon (born April 1, 2002) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

and was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Early life and high school

Simon attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. As a junior, he totaled 89 tackles with 13.5 being for a loss, 4.5 sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles. Coming out of high school, Simon was ranked as the number four player in the state of New Jersey, and as the tenth best outside linebacker in the country. Simon committed to play

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

College career

As a freshman in 2020 Simon primarily played on special teams where he racked up four tackles. In 2021, he recorded 54 tackles with 2.5 going for a loss, a sack, and an interception. In 2022, Simon totaled 32 tackles with 5.5 going for a loss, two sacks, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. In week 4 of the 2023 season, Simon tallied two tackles, including a huge tackle on fourth down to stop quarterback Sam Hartman from getting a first down, as he helped the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14. In week 8, Simon notched a team-leading eight tackles in a win over

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

. In the 2024 season, Cody Simon served as a graduate student linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes, contributing significantly to the team's defense. Simon was appointed as a team captain and honored with the "Block O" jersey, a recognition awarded to players exemplifying leadership, toughness, and character. Throughout the season, Simon led the team with 112 total tackles, including 51 solo tackles and 61 assisted tackles . He also recorded 7 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 7 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble. In the College Football Playoff, Simon's performance was notable. He registered 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and 3 tackles for loss in the Rose Bowl against Oregon . In the National Championship game against Notre Dame, Simon recorded 8 tackles and was named the defensive MVP of the game. For his contributions during the season, Simon received several honors. He was named to the First Team All-Big Ten and was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, recognizing his excellence in both athletics and academics. Simon concluded his collegiate career with cumulative statistics of 121 solo tackles, 129 assisted tackles, 10 sacks, and 1 interception over five seasons.

Professional career

Simon was selected by the

in the fourth round, 115th overall, of the 2025 NFL draft.

Personal life

Simon hails from an athletic family: his dad Mike played rugby at Army, his mom Amy ran track and field at the University of Michigan, and his brother Shayne is currently a linebacker for the DC Defenders.

References

External links

Arizona Cardinals bioOhio State Buckeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Cody Living people American football linebackers Ohio State Buckeyes football players Players of American football from Jersey City, New Jersey St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni Arizona Cardinals players 2002 births