Michigan State Football: 3-star RB Jordon Simmons just what offense needs

After a string of departures at running back, Michigan State football landed a three-star running back from Georgia in Jordon Simmons.

Three running backs in a span of two weeks entered their names into the transfer portal, leaving Michigan State’s backfield searching for depth.

It started with Connor Heyward who followed in Brandon Bouyer-Randle’s footsteps and then La’Darius Jefferson followed suit. And while he may have been a converted receiver, Weston Bridges came to Michigan State as a four-star running back and he, too, decided to enter his name into the portal, hoping to find greener pastures and more playing time.

Michigan State’s depth chart was down to two names at running back and a freshman who was likely to retain a redshirt.

So that meant that depth at the position would be concerning moving forward, but the Spartans received good news on Monday evening when three-star Georgia-based running back Jordon Simmons committed to the 2020 class.

The offense could use this moving forward with Elijah Collins heading into a sophomore season as the clear starter and Anthony Williams Jr. backing him up as a true sophomore. They’ll have Brandon Wright as the third back and Simmons could also add an interesting element to the run game.

Simmons defines himself as a speed back and that’s perfect for the offense as Collins is more of that patient runner who can wait for holes to open up and hit them hard. Williams is a shiftier back with speed and Wright is a big-bodied rusher.

As you can see, Simmons shows impressive burst through the hole and runs downfield. He doesn’t do a ton of dancing around and that’s what gets some young running backs in trouble. He uses that speed to blow past defenders and has that home-run capability every time he touches the ball.

Simmons becomes the third player from the state of Georgia to commit to Michigan State’s 2020 class, following three-star receiver Ricky White and three-star defensive end Simeon Barrow. The staff continues to keep that Georgia pipeline going.