Arkansas Razorbacks commit Wyatt Simmons preparing for busy Saturday
On a normal game day, Wyatt Simmons would be resting at home. Not Saturday. He will be sitting in the stands at 11 a.m. at First Security Bank Stadium watching his dad Paul Simmons’ Harding Bisons play Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) for a trip to next week’s NCAA Division II national championship game.
As that game is winding down, he and his teammates will jump on buses for the 45-minute trip in central Arkansas from Searcy to Little Rock to play in the Class 4A Arkansas high school state championship game against northeast Arkansas power Rivercrest at 6:30 p.m. at venerable War Memorial Stadium.
“[Harding Academy head coach Neil Evans] told us to bundle up and not ride the emotional wave of that game too much,” said Simmons, a star linebacker and University of Arkansas commit. “I’ll be off my feet watching the game in the stands.”
This week has been a busy one for the Simmons as they prepare for their biggest games of the season. The title game is old hat for Wyatt as the Wildcats have played in two 3A title games and now in the second 4A game in Wyatt’s career. This is Harding University’s second trip to the semifinals in Paul’s six seasons.
“It’s been exciting,” Simmons said. “We haven’t been around each other a lot because we have both been locked in, focusing on what we need to do this weekend, but it is definitely exciting. It is cool for both of us to be able to do that with my dad making a huge run, and at the same time we are playing for a state championship.”
Harding Academy head coach Neil Evans told the media Tuesday that the playoff game creates a bit of a logistical hurdle as his team's locker room is right next door to First Security Stadium, and also the Wildcats’ home field, will be filled with 5,000 fans as his team is trying to leave campus for Little Rock.
“I am going to do whatever I can to be there because that is my dad, and I love those guys,” said Simmons, who will be joined in the stands by his brother and freshman Wildcats teammate, Tanner. “I’d do anything to be there.”
Even though the Wildcats make a habit of appearing in Little Rock, Simmons said it never gets old.
“It’s special every year,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you do it. It feels the same. It is an honor, and it is incredible. It is awesome to keep having these coaches that keep bringing us back here every year no matter who they are working with.”
Harding Academy is making its fifth consecutive trip to a title game. They won the Class 3A title from 2019-21. However, last season, after moving up to 4A because of the Arkansas Activity Association competitive equity factor, they lost to Malvern 64-39 in the title game. That loss made this season a little different for the Wildcats, who are 14-0.
“I felt like last year we go too used to winning,” he said. “I think it was kind of a wake up. We went twice as hard [during the offseason].”
While the team had a bad taste in its mouth in the offseason, Simmons enjoyed an exciting turn of events. He hadn’t given playing Division I football a thought but on a whim in the spring put together a highlight reel in late May. He released it on social media and immediately a who’s who of college football’s elite was offering the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder. Arkansas was joined by SEC rivals Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee and South Carolina in the sweepstakes. Also, Oklahoma, Texas and USC, among others, all offered after seeing the highlights.
"The way he has burst on the scene is surreal," Evans said. "Last year he had zero offers outside of his dad. We just put together some highlights .We knew he was really fast and really violent. We sent the highlights out to a couple of connections, and just said, 'Hey, where do you think this guy can land?' And then all of a sudden the guy we asked where he could land is offering him.
"Then it snowballed. It is a really cool story."
Simmons committed to Arkansas on Aug. 19. He will be only the second Wildcat in school history to play for the Razorbacks. Jeb Huckeba, a defensive end, played in the 2000 Army All-American Game and notched a stellar collegiate career and a two-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks. Ironically enough, Huckeba’s dad, Ronnie, also coached Harding University, and the elder Simmons, a former Bisons All-American linebacker, served on his staff.
While other commits wavered during Arkansas’ difficult 4-8 2023 campaign, Simmons never flinched even as head coach Sam Pittman faced harsh criticism from fans and media.
“[The season] didn’t change anything for me,” Simmons said. “I hated to see the [criticism of Pittman], but I understand how things work in sports. It’s the way things go.”
Simmons added that his dad “really likes” Pittman and “likes the way” the Razorbacks coach handled the adversity of the offseason which included firing offensive coordinator Dan Enos and hiring Bobby Petrino, who was fired from the school.
“It’s hard to come under that much fire from people,” Simmons said. “We both think [Pittman] handled it very well.”
On Saturday, Simmons’ focus will be rooting on his dad and working to end his prep career as a champion.
“It would mean everything,” he said. “To be able to end the season with these guys that I spent the last four years with playing football giving everything – blood sweat and tears – is going to mean the world to come out with a win.”
