Josh Simmons is entering the 2025 NFL draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that Simmons has decided to go pro. While Simmons’ final season at Ohio State was cut short by a knee injury, his agent Drew Rosenhaus told Schefter that is ahead of schedule in his rehab and will be ready to participate in NFL training camp next summer.
Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons has declared for the NFL draft. Simmons had season-ending knee surgery after the Oregon game, but his new agent Drew Rosenhaus said surgery went well and hes already ahead of schedule with his rehab. Josh will be fully cleared for pic.twitter.com/XQfqxolo4K
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2024
A redshirt junior in terms of eligibility, Simmons could have played one more season of college football, and his absence from Ohio State’s Senior Day ceremony seemingly left the door open for Simmons to stay at Ohio State for another season.
Now, however, Simmons is confirmed to be leaving Ohio State for the NFL, leaving OSU in need of two new starting offensive tackles for next season with seniors Donovan Jackson – who moved from left guard to left tackle after Simmons’ season-ending injury – and Josh Fryar both set to conclude their Ohio State careers in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Ohio State is likely to pursue at least one offensive tackle in the transfer portal this offseason as it does not have any clear-cut candidates to start at tackle next season on its current roster. Returning backups at the position include Zen Michalski, George Fitzpatrick, Ian Moore, Deontae Armstrong and Miles Walker, but Michalski is the only one among them who has seen significant playing time for the Buckeyes, and he struggled in his only start this season against Nebraska before going down with an injury of his own.
Simmons spent two years with the Buckeyes, starting all of his first 19 games with the team before suffering his season-ending knee injury in Ohio State’s sixth game of this season at Oregon. He was named a midseason All-American by the Senior Bowl before his injury.
While his injury is the biggest question surrounding his NFL draft stock, Simmons has been projected to be selected as early as the first round as one of the top offensive tackles in this year’s draft. At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds with excellent athleticism for his size, Simmons is seen as a high-upside prospect who showed massive improvement in his second year with the Buckeyes before his season was cut short.
