Photo Courtesy of The VindicatorJohn SimonThirty-nine. That’s the number for most 225-pound bench press reps at this year’s NFL combine. John Simon says he can do 48.
“Right now I’m just lifting for speed and endurance and things of that sort,” Simon said in an interview with Bucknuts.com. “As far as the most reps, I’ve done 225 pounds for 48 reps.”
Saying Simon is strong would be an understatement. Beastlike would come closer, but “nasty” is the most accurate.
Simon, a Youngstown, Ohio native, can bench 425 pounds and squat 700, but doesn’t want his weight room exploits to overshadow his playing ability.
“Yeah, I’m more concerned about how I play than how I’m lifting,” Simon said. “I mean, I lift to improve myself as a football player, so it’s very important. But what happens on the field is what is really important.”
At 6-foot-3 and 274 pounds, Simon will not be a hybrid-lineman able to move outside to the end; he will clog the middle and shut down the run.
“You take one look at him, and it’s very obvious he is a hard-nose type of player,” said Kevin Noon, publisher of buckeyegrove.com, in a phone interview. “He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Simon is capable of a bull-rush with his strength but has the knowledge and skill to beat his blockers with a more technical approach.
This knowledge and skill is not restricted to the painted lines of a football field or the bench in a weight room. Simon holds a 3.7 grade point average and had offers from Stanford, Boston College and Notre Dame.
“This is a guy that everyone wanted,” said Steve Helwagen, managing editor of Bucknuts Media Network. “In terms of football, weightlifting, academics, he’s got the full package.”
In his senior year at Cardinal Mooney High School, Simon notched 148 tackles, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, 13 tackles-for-loss and 11 sacks. He guided Mooney to a 9-3 record, reaching the Division IV regional finals.
“He comes out of a very proven program. Mooney turns out so many great talents,” Noon said. “Ohio State hasn’t had a lot of success recruiting out of Mooney, but there was never a question when Simon became recruitable [sic].”
The choice was easy for Simon. He committed the day after Christmas 2007 to join his sister who was already enrolled at OSU.
Simon’s first taste of college-level football came at the Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio this January.
“I thought I played well,” Simon said. “It was a great opportunity to go down there and go up against some of the best competition in the country. It was a lot of fun. I know I still got things to work on and I’m working on them now. Things like making more plays in the backfield. So, hopefully I’ll be ready when I come to Ohio State.”
Defensive Coordinator Jim Heacock has depth on the defensive line with returning players like Doug Worthington, Todd Denlinger and Cameron Heyward. This could lead to a redshirt for Simon, but he could take the helm after the 2009 season.
“I’d like to play. I think everyone wants to,” Simon said. “But I’ll do whatever is best. I know they redshirt a lot of their defensive tackles, but if they need me to play and think I’m ready, that would be great.”
Daniel Salomone can be reached at [email protected].
