 "Photo: Katie Kirkland / The Gamecock")
Only a sophomore on a team expected to be a middle of the pack contender, he has already become the face of the program. Looked over in recruiting during his senior season at Rock Hill High School, he became SEC Freshman of the Year and was named to the Freshman All-American Team after committing to USC. Now, all eyes are on Ko Simpson as he has been tabbed the No. 1 free safety in America.
"Coming out (of high school), I wasn't really recruited," Simpson said. "A lot of schools passed on me, and then I was grayshirted. I came out here with something on my back, and I had to prove myself, and I did it."
He proved himself from the moment he began spring practice for the first time in 2004 under former coach Lou Holtz. With the graduation of NFL draft pick Dunta Robinson, Simpson impressed the coaches immediately, earning a starting spot in his first collegiate game at Vanderbilt and keeping it throughout the season.
Playing in a pivotal defensive position, the SEC began to take notice of the freshman in the second week, when ESPN GameDay came to Columbia to broadcast the USC-Georgia football game on a national stage. Georgia quarterback David Greene became the first future NFL quarterback to throw Simpson an interception, returned 57 yards for a touchdown.
Matt Jones, Chris Leak and Erik Ainge also threw a pick each, along with quarterbacks from Alabama and South Florida to give Ko a league-leading six interceptions on the year, the No.3 mark in the nation and the most for a Gamecock since Arturo Freeman stole six passes in 1997.
His greatest in-season recognition came following the Arkansas game in which he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after a 57-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and an interception. After including his 61 tackles (No. 2 on the team) and team-leading six pass breakups and three fumble recoveries, it is easy to see why he has been featured in Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, The Sporting News and nearly every other college sports magazine covering the Southeast. Yet nothing seems to faze the shy, quiet kid from upstate.
"I never expected (to get awards) this early, but you've got to run with it quickly," Simpson said. "It's big, but (football's) all about the team. I don't like to put all of that preseason stuff all on me. I'm just trying to come out here and win ballgames and win an SEC championship."
With a new coach who has been followed in the national media more closely than any other person minus the president this year, the time to begin heading toward an SEC championship seems to be forced upon the team prematurely. However, no one expects the team to achieve more than the players do, and after the offense and defense manage to grasp what they're being taught, Simpson believes that there's no reason Carolina can't contend this season.
"I think everyone's coming along all right," Simpson said. "I think we're going to play good. I think we're going to win by a lot."
Bolstered by what Simpson considers "the best secondary in the SEC and one of the top in the nation," even coach Steve Spurrier made remarks in the preseason indicating the defense and secondary were the strengths of the team.
However, after a less-than-stellar showing against Central Florida, the coach said he hopes the defense follows in line with Simpson's philosophy in not reading in to the hype.
"Sometimes when the local newspaper writes about how great our defense is, and they read it and believe it," Spurrier said after Tuesday's practice. "It happens to every team all over the country. But after that last (preseason) scrimmage, I would have written the same thing. Our defense really looked good that last scrimmage. But Central Florida didn't care about how good we played in the scrimmage, and they came to play."
With success comes professional temptations. Carolina has been well-known in recent years in placing secondary players into the NFL. Freeman, Robinson, Sheldon Brown, Deandre' Eiland, Willie Offord, Andre Goodman, Terry Cousin and Kevin House played on NFL teams last season as defensive backs, and Simpson in all aspects fits the mold of another great Carolina defensive back who could possibly have a future on Sundays. With today's money-first society, does he see himself leaving school after three years to make the leap?
"(The NFL) has been one of my goals since I was little," Simpson said. "That's all you want to do -- to play in the NFL. That's what you play high school for, that's what you play college for, to get to the next level. (But) I don't really think about playing and leaving early, I'm just out here to play right now."
Intent on going one game at a time, having fun and looking ahead to Georgia is all he can do. With the first game out of the way, the defense should be back up to par for the biggest game of the first half of the season. And despite the need to prove there will be no "sophomore slump" on the field, Ko has all the reason in the world to believe this season will be nothing but fun performing in coaches' Thompson and Nix new system.
"Last year it was a lot of the secondary and linebackers making plays," Simpson said. "This year there's a lot of blitzing and attacking the quarterback. It's going to be a lot of crazy stuff."
Be the first to comment on this article!