Titans Land 330-Pound Former Arizona State Player

Mike Simmons, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive tackle who played the 1987 season at Arizona State, has enrolled at Cal State Fullerton and will begin practicing with the Titans this week, Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said.

Simmons played high school football in Oklahoma and redshirted his first season at Arizona State in 1986. According to Murphy, Simmons started several games for the Sun Devils in 1987 but fractured a vertebra in his neck during spring practice in 1988.

Murphy said Simmons was cleared by his personal physician to continue playing but was not permitted to play by an Arizona State physician. He was checked on Saturday by a Fullerton physician, who gave Simmons clearance to play.

Murphy doubts that Simmons, who has one season of eligibility remaining, will move into a starting role by the Sept. 1 season opener against Sonoma State, but Simmons will be the Titans’ largest player and is expected to contribute eventually.

“He was looking for a place to finish school and where he could give football a shot,” Murphy said. “Before the season is over, he could really help us. He gives us depth at the position and might allow us to redshirt some other people.”