Ohio State Left Tackle Josh Simmons Declaring For 2025 NFL Draft

Ohio State starting left tackle Josh Simmons is declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft and will forego his final year of eligibility.

Simmons was lost for the season following a knee injury in October. He was playing very well at the time and was considered a likely early departure. The injury created some doubt about leaving early, but that doubt is now gone.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted out the news, adding context from Simmons’ agent Drew Rosenhaus.

“Josh will be fully cleared for practice by the start of NFL training camp and he will be a high first-round pick,” according to Rosenhaus.

Aside from typical agent blather, Simmons has been seen as a potential first-rounder given his play through the first half of the 2024 season.

Simmons came to Ohio State in 2023 via the transfer portal. He spent his first two seasons at San Diego State, redshirting as a true freshman. Simmons played right tackle for the Aztecs, but soon after arriving following the spring of 2023, he was put at left tackle for the Buckeyes.

There were growing pains during the early portion of the 2023 season, but Simmons quickly grew and progressed. Now he will continue that progression in the NFL.

Without Simmons returning, the Buckeyes will again look to the transfer portal to help bolster an offensive line room that has been put to the absolute test this season. Not only did the Buckeyes lose their starting left tackle, but also starting center Seth McLaughlin. Both absences were felt significantly in last Saturday’s loss to Michigan.

As it stands now, the Buckeyes will need to replace four starters on the offensive line. Seniors Donovan Jackson, Josh Fryar, and McLaughlin, as well as the fourth-year junior Simmons.

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