Jeffery Simmons hosts annual football camp in Starkville
Titans defensive tackle will welcome 650 kids to the Starkville Sportsplex
STARKVILLE, MS (WCBI)- Jeffery Simmons has quickly made a name for himself in the NFL. The former Bulldogs defensive tackle has already racked up multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, but even with all of the publicity, Simmons makes sure to give back to the place where it all started.
“When you can be a light in your community, when you can influence all of these kids, kind of mentor them for a couple of hours of the day, you just never know which kid you can help change their life,” Simmons said. “When you can have an impact on the community the way that I’ve been trying to have on this community, I think that’s my main goal.”
Simmons isn’t just hosting a football camp either, he’s bringing his Bulldog family back together. Washington Commanders offensive tackle Tyre Phillips joined Simmons in Starkville for his camp after he did the same for Philips back in June.
“Man, it’s a blessing just to come out here and give back to the community,” Philips said. “Especially Starkville, Mississippi, where we played college ball at. He came to my camp and supported me, gave back to my community, so I’ll give back to anything he’s doing.”
Simmons has hosted multiple events throughout the Golden Triangle the last week. In Macon, Mississippi, Simmons hosted his annual Jeffery Simmons Fun Day, where fellow friend and singer Jelly Roll performed in front of his home town crowd. He then moved to Columbus, Mississippi, where he held a shopping spree at Dick’s Sporting Goods for 10 of his fellow campers. He capped off his week hosting the two-day youth football camp in Starkville, where campers will learn the fundamentals of the game.
“We always talk about how it’s bigger than football. So when you’re able to pour into our youth and give back to the community, I think that’s what’s most important, that’s what it’s really about. To be able to do this, especially right here in the hometown, a lot of these guys played with me here at Mississippi State. So just to be able to do that right here in Starkville, it means a lot.”
