Seemingly every time Larry Simmons caught the ball last year, he made sure to get in the end zone.
Well, maybe not every time, but out of 15 receptions in the 2025 season, six went for 6 points.
Simmons, who transferred from Southern Miss, had to patiently wait for his time to shine last season. Through the first six games of Utah’s season, Simmons had just three receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown, but he never stopped working in practice.
“Continue to just give it my all each and every day, letting the coaches know that they can count on me in any situation. Anytime they need me, I can be there to help us, help the team.”
— Utah receiver Larry Simmons
Eventually, Simmons began to see the field more, scoring a touchdown in each of Utah’s games vs. BYU and Colorado.
It was in the Utes’ 51-47 comeback victory against Kansas State that Simmons shined the brightest. He made two of the most important catches of the game, the first coming with Dampier and the Utes facing third and 22 with 3:40 left, down 10.
Dampier pump-faked, then saw Simmons streak open across the field and fired it to him for a 21-yard gain. Running back Wayshawn Parker converted on fourth and 1 to keep the drive alive.
On the next play, Simmons got open in the corner of the end zone and Dampier placed the ball where only he could get it. Simmons hauled in the back-shoulder grab to bring Utah within 3 points. The Utes would win the game with another touchdown drive to complete a dramatic comeback.
In the season finale at Kansas, Simmons was once again key, hauling in three receptions for 97 yards and two scores, including a 48-yard touchdown reception to put the game out of reach.
While he had just one catch in the bowl game against Nebraska, Simmons’ end-of-season run proved that he belonged on the field.
“I feel like that was just a little steppingstone that I had to do in order to show that I could do more here,” Simmons said.
In 2026, Simmons is part of a wide receiver room that — on paper at least — looks like one of the deepest that Utah has had in a while. Transfers Braden Pegan and Kyri Shoels headline the group, but the Utes bring back a solid cast of returners in Simmons, Creed Whittemore and Tobias Merriweather.
Add in transfer Ricky Johnson, who has impressed coaches, and Daidren Zipperer, who missed all of last season, and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven has a lot of options.
That means the competition in practice has been fierce.
“(Receivers coach Chad Bumphis) always challenges us to come out each and every day and give it our all because each of us are fighting for a spot. So we got to come out each and every day giving it all, coaching each other up, just being great teammates,” Simmons said.
This summer, Dampier paid for all of his receivers to join him in his home state of Arizona for a week. There was lots of practice time as Dampier worked with each of the receivers and continued building connection and chemistry.
“It just shows our connection that we have. We built that connection in AZ with the new guys coming in, Kyri and BP, and then going from there. So building a great connection and it’s showing in camp,” Simmons said.
They also built connection off the field as well.
“We bonded real tight. We got to know each other a lot with the new guys like Kyri and BP. So we bonded pretty well. We didn’t just do football, but we kind of connected a lot. So it helps us on the field, that brotherhood that we built in AZ,” Simmons said.
The training sessions this summer showed up on one of the first practices of fall camp, when Dampier gave the receivers a check that McGiven had never worked with him on. The play went for a big gain.
Receivers that play with Dampier always have to be on their toes due his ability to extend plays with his legs.
“It’s great just knowing Dev can open a play up,” Simmons said. “You can think it’s dead, but it won’t be because of his ability to scramble, his ability to get people open, his ability to run. The play is never over when you have a QB like him.”
This offseason, Simmons has been working to improve his game, and McGiven and Bumphis have played a big role. The area where Simmons has improved the most has been in the film room and studying the playbook.
“Just getting to learn a playbook better, learning the concepts, learning defensive coverages, just learning ball more,” Simmons said.
As Simmons has continued to learn McGiven’s offense, he’s found that there’s a lot to like about it as a receiver.
“He’s a great OC. Spreads the ball. I feel very comfortable in this offense,” Simmons said.
As he continues to work toward a prominent spot in the wide receiver room, Simmons is continuing to carry the “chip on his shoulder,” never getting too comfortable.
“Continue to just give it my all each and every day, letting the coaches know that they can count on me in any situation. Anytime they need me, I can be there to help us, help the team,” Simmons said.
