A farewell interview with Justin Simmons, the Eagles MVP

The Tab got a chance to sit down with Senior Safety, Justin Simmons, during his final week here at Boston College.

Justin was recently honored as this year’s Team MVP at the annual Scanlan Awards banquet held in Gasson Hall.

The MVP discusses his experiences and favorite moments on the team, what the future holds for him, and his final thoughts as he prepares to say goodbye.

What was your reaction when you found out you were named MVP?

It was crazy. Obviously I was very excited, but it was also very humbling.I definitely knew looking at the way the season went and how the defense performed that they were going to put a few names before mine. So the fact that I was recognized in everyone’s eyes as the team MVP is such an honor.

Who couldn’t you have done it without?

I definitely couldn’t have done it without God. Looking back on my sophomore year with all the struggles I had with football, obviously Taryn and my family were there as well as some of the guys on my team such as Steven Daniels, Malachi, Frank and Dave all helped me out. But if I had to put a stamp on who helped me out the most, it would be my relationship with God.

What was the best moment of this football season for you?

It was probably the Notre Dame game. I know that we didn’t win, which was tough, but I thought we played really hard as a team and it was probably one of the best games we have played as a team overall. The atmosphere was crazy and our fans were ridiculous even though it was a little section. Just the fact that we were playing in Fenway against our rivals one last time in Boston made it such a memorable moment of this season.

Looking back at your whole experience on the team, was the best part?

The locker room. That is where a lot of bonding happens. You are around each other all the time and obviously you can’t talk as much in practice or even in the games, so the locker room when you are getting ready to watch film or lift is the times I will remember the most. Especially after we win games and the locker room is electric, music is playing, guys are dancing is just a fun time.

What are you going to miss the most about football?

I am going to miss playing at Alumni the most. I am going to miss all my teammates, the fans that come out and support. Alumni is a very special place. There is this video going around that my good friend Nick made that is an accumulation of BC football over the past couple of years and it is one of the best videos I’ve ever seen made. It’s awesome and it captures what I am going to miss: the coaches, teammates, walking around campus after a win, feeling accomplished.

Check out the video here:

What are your thoughts on the way the season ended?

The season was tough. Overall, as a team I thought it was a tough year. I don’t think in any way shape or form we are a 3-9 team. We played a lot of teams close. I think the injury bug hit our offense so a lot of young guys had to play. You really need that experience especially when you are playing on offense. Defensively we had a good year because we had all our guys and didn’t really get injured. We only lost a handful of games to three to five points so it wasn’t like every game was a blowout. We were in every game but it’s just the fact of closing it out and finishing. I definitely think in the upcoming years we are going to be really good and a team to watch out for.

Aside from football, what other experiences, interactions are you taking away?

Definitely the community of people here that I have met. They all evoke being men and women for others. Not only just the students but the professors and faculty. I am going to take away the most the networking that you make here. It is good having my family of football guys, but it is even better that people who I’ve had class with and studied with for a while. I am really going to miss the community outside of football.

How will you be spending your time after the New Year? What are you most excited for after graduation?

I start training in for the NFL Combine Pro Day right after New Year’s in Florida. I’ll be spending my time there training, hanging out with my finance as much as I can and then I get married in April so that is really exciting. A few weeks after April, I will be waiting to hear from teams and then after that the path is a huge question mark so we will see to where that leads me.

What are your thoughts as you prepare to train and leave BC?

It hasn’t hit me yet that I won’t be here next semester, but I’m sure it will once I am in Florida and seeing Snapchats of everyone still here. It’s surreal to think about. I thought I had all the time in the world when I was a freshman when I first got here and now I am a senior moving on. Time really does fly. It is bittersweet.

Describe the team in one word

“Perseverance.”

Describe BC in one word

Life-changing. Some people probably wouldn’t agree, but I consider my experience here to be life-changing.

Do you have advice for incoming freshman?

I told my defensive back freshman, which can apply to all freshmen, to make sure you get out of your comfort zone. It is so easy to find your little niche here and just run with it for four years but I encourage them to try and find something different. Try and find what you like and don’t like. I don’t think it’s good to limit yourself. It’s important to see different opinions and views on different things you may or may not pick up on.

Compare yourself before coming to BC and now?

I had a few upperclassmen on the football team tell me a while ago to make sure I get out of my comfort zone and branch out. So when I first got here my freshman and sophomore year, I was strictly football and friends and didn’t really try and communicate in class or go to any school or club events. I just did my own thing and did football.

Then I started taking their advice into consideration and started to branch out and participating more in class and I am really happy with the decision I made to listen. It helped me out a lot. A lot of the things I decided to get involved in, I never knew I would enjoy until I tried it. There has been huge growth as far as getting out of my comfort zone.

What’s something you wish you did during your BC experience?

One of the things is that I never got a chance to visit the Career Center. We are always get referred to go there as football guys because obviously the NFL is not guaranteed so you need a job after you leave. A lot of us don’t have any job experiences since we are so busy with football, so that is why the Career Center is a perfect place to go. You can work on your resume and just get your name out there. Now looking back on it, I never had the opportunity to go and by that I mean I never went because I just would get so busy and want to spend some of my downtime relaxing. I wish I did take more advantage of it.

 What is something you can’t do anymore now that you’re not going to be in college?

The first thing that came to my mind was not being able to go to Late Night. I love Late Night: mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers and that is not going to be a thing anymore. A few of my friends would just come to late night and chill whenever we weren’t doing anything because you will always run into someone.

Describe your final emotions/thoughts going through your head

Thinking about not being able to be in the dorm room, walk to class and see my friends has been going through my head. I’ve been trying to hangout and get lunch with as many people as I can. I am trying to relish the last few days at a place I consider very special. It will be missed and I am going to be sad but it is bittersweet when thinking about the future and the new experiences that is yet to come.

Good-bye and best of luck to one of BC’s greatest Eagles. Thank you for the memories, Justin.