By Garrett Kroeger

The Natchez Democrat

LORMAN — Every morning Alcorn State University running back P.J. Simmons gets up, says a prayer and tweets out “Thank God for another 24.”

After that, he gets dressed and works out. Speed ladders, weight lifting, you name it, Simmons is doing whatever he needs to do to better himself.

The reasoning, Simmons said, he knows someone else in the world isn’t as fortunate. But more importantly, Simmons does it because he has a lot of people depending on him.

The biggest one being his 2-year-old daughter Aubrey.

“You know, I want to give her everything,” Simmons said. “The top of line, the best stuff possible. That is definitely my extra push in the mornings.”

Last year, Simmons experienced his best collegiate season to date. The senior-to-be ran for 687 yards and seven scores, while leading the nation in yards per carry at 9.1 in the Braves’ back-up role. Heading into next season, Simmons is expected to replace former Alcorn All-American De’Lance Turner.

“We expect him to carry that torch,” said run game coordinator and offensive line coach Ryan Stanchek. “We have had very good running backs since we been here, going back to Darryan Ragsdale and De’Lance Turner. Hopefully (Simmons) will step up.

“P.J. has a chance to be special.”

Not only does Stanchek expect Simmons to become the main running back, but Simmons expects that of himself.

Yet, before he got in the position to become the Braves’ primary ball carrier and have the opportunity to give his daughter the life he wants to provide her, he had to make several stops.

Coming out of Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla., Simmons was a three-star recruit according to 247 Sports. During his senior season, he ran for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns. Due to that success, Simmons signed his National Letter of Intent to Kent State University to become a Golden Flash.

In his first collegiate season, Simmons had few opportunities to show what he was made of. As a freshman, he ran for 115 yards on 17 carries — a 6.8 yards per carry average. Yet, Simmons wasn’t whole in Ohio.

He was missing his daughter.

“It was just a lot of (difficult) circumstances,” Simmons said. “But it was more importantly the distance away from my daughter.”

So, Simmons packed his bags and transferred to Holmes Community College in Goodman. While the distance between Goodman and Tallahassee was still nearly 500 miles, it was half the distance than Kent, Ohio to Tallahassee. Plus, it allowed his daughter to visit him more often.

After rushing for 289 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries in his sophomore year, he caught the eye of Alcorn State coach Fred McNair.

“He was a very exciting back,” McNair said.

The Braves brought him in. Simmons liked the atmosphere surrounding the program, but he loved the transparency from McNair.

“He was honest with me,” Simmons said. “He told me that they already had a solidified starter in De’Lance and I had nothing but respect for that. He was a good, experienced guy.”

This offseason, Simmons is working on improving his all-around game. He wants to improve his speed, acceleration and quick burst, which is the ability to plant his foot in the ground and go.

While working on these areas would certainly be beneficial, as Stanchek said Simmons is best used on the edge to exploit his speed, the back also wants to work on finishing runs.

“My style is more of a elusive type, but I feel like I need to add that to my game,” Simmons said. “To be able to lower my shoulder and get the tough yardage.”

Simmons works with the mindset of ‘You get what you put in.’ So, every day he tries to study the game.

He watches tape of his two favorite running backs, Pittsburgh Steeler Le’Veon Bell and Minnesota Viking Dalvin Cook, but he also dissects the great backs like Walter Payton and Adrian Peterson. Simmons wants to take the best parts of all those backs and put it into one final product: himself.

“I just study some areas of everybody’s game so I can pick out the good things in all of them,” Simmons said. “Combine them all into myself.

“I’m trying to level up.”

While Simmons cannot wait for his final season, he is soaking in his last spring practice and enjoying the place that he believes has given him and his daughter endless opportunities.

“At Alcorn, I’m at the perfect place to go to the league,” Simmons said. “I think I have put myself in the perfect position and God has put me in the perfect position to go to the league, right where I’m at. I expect nothing short of it. My daughter is my biggest motivation.

“Every day I get to wake up, communicate and see her again. I’m thankful for that.”