Boston College Football: Get To Know Your Dudes - #27, DB Justin Simmons

Name: Justin Simmons

Position: Defensive Back

Number: #27

Year: Junior

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 192 lbs.

Hometown: Stuart, FL

High School: Martin County

2013 Stats: Appeared in all 13 games for the Eagles, making four starts including the bowl game. Recorded 34 tackles (22 solo) and three pass breakups. Recorded a fumble recovery for 2 yards in the bowl game vs. Arizona. Tallied six tackles in games vs. Maryland (3 solo) and Arizona (6 solo) and five tackles in games against Army (2 solo) and Syracuse (4 solo).

2014 Projections: Simmons made a bigger impact in the Eagles secondary as the season went along, especially in light of Spenser Rositano's decision to walk away from the game following a string of concussions. Simmons figures to vie for starting minutes at free safety, battling Sean Sylvia for the starting role. Simmons isn't the flashiest player on the field, but is a versatile athlete with some height. Simmons should again be a solid contributor to the Eagles' much maligned secondary.

How'd He Get Here: A three-star safety out of Martin County HS in Stuart, Florida, Simmons chose the Eagles over a half dozen claimed offers -- Florida International, Georgia State, Illinois, Presbyterian, Purdue and Western Michigan. Recruited by Ryan Day.

Twitter Feed: You can follow Justin on Twitter @jsimms1119.

Tweetable:

Who's Hoodie Allen ?

— Justin Simmons (@jsimms1119) May 1, 2014

Great minds ...

What is a Hoodie Allen?

— BC Interruption (@bcinterruption) April 15, 2014

Uniform History: Of course we all remember Jamaica Plain tackle James Heggie wearing the #27 jersey from 1929-31. And who could forget Malden tackle Thomas Buckley (1935-37)? More recently, the #27 jersey was worn by Medford fullback Keith Barnette from 1973-75. FS Paul Cook (2000-03), CB DeJuan Tribble (2004-07) and FS Okechukwu Okoroha (2009-10) were the last three Eagles to wear the jersey number.

Linkage:

National Signing Day, Boston College Football: DB Justin Simmons (BC Interruption)

Bowl for Boston College caps Justin Simmons' season of challenge (TCPalm.com)

Quotable: Simmons lost the starting FS job to Sean Sylvia after suffering a freak injury during spring practice, before working his way back into the starting lineup in the second half of the year. The coaches asked Simmons to be more aggressive at the point of attack.

"I had to show that I could come down and that I'm not afraid to fill a hole or stick the running back. Honestly, it was a great experience, and I only got better by competing and being challenged by the coaching staff to be more of a physical presence in the running game."

Highlights: Here's Simmons coming out of high school in Florida: