Tennessee coach Rodney Garner critiques Elijah Simmons' self-accountability

Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner was rather critical of redshirt sophomore Elijah Simmons in Saturday’s press conference, saying the defensive lineman needs to “have much more self-accountability” before he can become a stable on the Volunteers’ defensive front.

Simmons, listed at 6-foot-2, 350 pounds, needs to first work on his physique, according to Garner. Tennessee’s official roster says that he has gained roughly 30 pounds since last season.

“Obviously, he has to get himself in a lot, lot better shape,” Garner said, continuing, “I do think Elijah has a skill set that he could be successful in this league. But he’s got to be more accountable to Elijah first. If you search our league, if you look at all the rosters and guys that are playing, there’s probably not many 350-pound defensive tackles in the SEC.”

When he first arrived in Knoxville in 2019, Simmons was listed at 340 pounds. He lost 20 pounds in between his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons, though, cutting it down to 320 pounds in 2020. However, he has since regained that weight, jumping from a listing of 320 pounds in 2020 to 350 pounds in 2021.

While Garner believes Simmons has what it takes to be a steady contributor to the Volunteers defensive front, the coaching staff must work on his intangibles to get him there.

“He’s just got to have a lot more self-accountability, and we have to help him get there,” Garner said. “We’ve got to keep pushing the needle the right way. He is a kid that has talent and obviously he can help the team. But we’ve got to get him where he can help us and be able to fight through and push it.”

Elijah Simmons, a former three-star recruit out of Nashville’s Pearl-Cohn High School, has appeared in 13 games as a Tennessee Volunteer. He’s started twice and racked up ten total tackles in 2020, including a career-high four tackles in Tennessee’s 44-21 loss to Georgia.