According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the Oregon Ducks have landed defensive lineman Jerome Simmons out of the NCAA transfer portal. Simmons was previously in the Boot with Louisiana-Monroe and South Carolina after coming to FBS football via JUCO. Now, the 2026 season will be spent in the Pacific Northwest under head coach Dan Lanning.
Simmons missed the early portion of the year, not making his 2025 debut until Sept. 20 against UTEP. He wound up playing in eight games, recording 10 tackles and even a pass breakup. All of this came while being classified as a redshirt junior by ULM’s official roster.
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One year of eligibility will remain for Simmons. This comes because of his lone season in Columbia with South Carolina. Simmons did not get to play for the Gamecocks, opting to redshirt the entire year. Probably not the plan he imagined but it’s turned into a positive as an opportunity to play for Oregon has opened up.
Multiple other big-name schools were involved in Simmons’ portal recruitment. NC State hosted him on a visit, as did the Florida Gators. Both of those are close to home, originally being from Bamberg (SC) Bamberg-Ehrhardt. Simmons will instead head up to Big Ten country.
Per the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings, Simmons is a three-star prospect. He is the No. 2,208 overall player to enter this cycle. When just looking at defensive linemen, Oregon just landed the guy ranked 238th.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
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Oregon continues to make moves through NCAA transfer portal
Oregon is one of those programs never looking for a down year, wanting to compete on a yearly basis. Positive steps were taken in 2025 by making the College Football Playoff semifinals. Beating James Madison and Texas Tech helped get them there after an 11-1 record in the regular season.
Working the transfer portal is a big part of the equation. Oregon will never be afraid to add proven talent to the roster, especially at key positions. Defensive line is certainly one of those. Weirdly enough, Simmons is the first defensive lineman to hop into the Ducks’ class.
More should be on the way, though. Lanning knows what it takes to build a contender in Eugene.
