It’s incredibly difficult for defensive players to truly contend for the Heisman Trophy. Travis Hunter, courtesy of his two-way play, nabbed the award in 2024. Ndamukong Suh, to some, was robbed of it in 2009.
Colin Simmons may not finish as high in the voting for the honor in 2026 as either of those players did, but he’s still getting flowers from at least one outlet.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Bill Connelly named Simmons his “Half-season Defensive Heisman.” The Texas defensive end edged out UCLA outside linebacker Sammy Omosigho and a pair of SEC peers — safety Dejuan Lane and linebacker Chris Cole — for the distinction.
Here’s analysis from Connelly:
The choice of Simmons is obvious… he was on pace to pull a Will Anderson Jr. until suffering a high ankle sprain Saturday. Anderson is the only power-conference defender to date with 30-plus TFLs (35 in 2021), and Simmons had 16 through six games. If he resumes full dominance… he’ll still have a chance for a gaudy number.
Simmons slotted fifth on Connelly’s Week 7 Heisman list after notching eight tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack in the Longhorns’ loss to the Gators.
Texas will likely battle the Ole Miss Rebels without him on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
