Learn more about UF signee Riley Simonds
When did you first fall in love with football?
“I grew up on a football field my whole life because my brother played football and he is four years older than me. Every day, my brother would have practice and my dad would come home from work, pick my brother up, pick me up, and take us to practice. I would just be on the football field getting coaching from my brother. I fell in love with that. I just wanted to follow in the footsteps of my brother.”
Is there anyone you would attribute your success to? A mentor or role model?
“Either my brother or my dad. They just taught me everything that I needed to know. They just really helped me a lot and taught me the game.”
How did you balance both school and football responsibilities in high school?
“We have a really good support program at our school, so that’s really how we did it. Our school is kind of like a college; if we have trouble and we’re forced to go to meet with our teachers in the morning or an hour before or after school, our coaches would do a big job in helping us with that.”
Whether it is in college or in the NFL, is there a player you would compare your skill-set to?
“I’m not sure. I don’t really know. I don’t compare myself to anyone.”
Which person on Florida’s roster do you have the strongest bond with?
“Brett [Heggie]. Me and Brett have a good bond. We’re kind of the same people with the same mindset and the same goals.”
What is the biggest improvement you need to make in order to play early?
“Just do whatever the coaches say to do.”
Do you feel like you need to work on run blocking, pass blocking, or anything else in particular?
“Everything. You can always get better at everything. I don’t know. I’ll be ready whenever they say. I’ll make sure I’m ready if they call me right now and say they need me to play December 29th against Michigan. I just work on everything. I’m not really working on one specific thing. I guess I’m just getting in shape for all that running I’m fixing to have to do.”
What has been the highlight of your football career thus far?
“The opportunity to be able to play college at the next level and my last game as a senior high school football player.”
What were the emotions like in your final high school game?
“It was crazy. We didn’t know it was the end because if we would have won, we would have kept going. It was just crazy. I made a couple of bad plays; first play, I had a bad snap. It was a lot of emotions. I was playing with two sprained ankles and a sprained MCL. It’s just something that you’ll never get over because I was fighting for my boys. I don’t know if I could have done it for anyone else like that.”
Besides football, what is appealing to you about UF?
“I want to be a Broadcast Journalism major. They have a really great school there, with Erin Andrews, [Tim] Tebow, GatorVision, and all that stuff. There are a lot of connections, plus being an hour away from Orlando, Disney World, and all those internships here, I think it’s a good spot to be for that in case football doesn’t work out.”
What is going to be your major and why?
“Football, it doesn’t work out for everybody… that’s what I want to be, an NFL player. Everyone does. Honestly, you got to be honest with yourself sometimes and that it may not work out. I want to be as close to the game of football as I can be. Broadcast journalists are pretty close, sports broadcast journalists are pretty close. They have to know everything that is going on, when it’s going on, what’s happening. That’s why I chose that.
“Or I want to be a high school coach. I don’t know. My main focus is the NFL or journalism and broadcasting.”
Is there one place in the world you want to go to?
“I want to go to Athens, Greece. I just like Greek mythology, Spartans, Romans. Visit all those places like that.
Favorite movie of all-time and why?
“My favorite movie would probably be Hercules, the Disney version, or Good Will Hunting.”
What’s your playlist looking like right now?
“Tha Carter V. Always Lil Wayne”
Do you have an interesting talent outside of football?
“I do straight plays and drama, so acting. Maybe, after football, get a TV show like ‘The Rock.’”
You told GatorsTerritory before you signed that you chose Florida because it was a 40-year decision. Over the next four decades, what do you want to accomplish?
“My main goal is to provide the best life for my family and get them anything they want.”
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.