The Valley might be a new home for former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was drafted eighth overall by the Cardinals in Thursday's NFL Draft, but the 21-year-old is already used to winning in …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
The Valley might be a new home for former Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was drafted eighth overall by the Cardinals in Thursday's NFL Draft, but the 21-year-old is already used to winning in Glendale's State Farm Stadium.
While at Clemson, Simmons was a part of two Fiesta Bowl champion teams. After joining the Cardinals, Simmons will call State Farm Stadium home, hoping to bring some of that Fiesta Bowl fortune with him.
The Fiesta Bowl is one of the six largest annual college bowl games -- or New Year Six bowls -- that rotates every three years as one of the College Football Playoff's semifinal games. Simmons' Clemson teams were the last two winners of the Fiesta Bowl semifinals.
Both wins came against Ohio State. At the end of this past season, Simmons' senior year, he recorded four tackles and intercepted a pass in a 29-23 victory over the Buckeyes Dec. 28, 2019 in Glendale. It was the last win of Simmons' college career as Clemson fell to No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow -- a Fiesta Bowl champ from the 2018 season -- and LSU in the National Championship Game.
As a freshman, Simmons was also on the Clemson team that beat Ohio State 35-31 in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal before winning the National Championship over Alabama. Simmons was relegated to the sideline for that Fiesta Bowl, as he only appeared in one regular season game his freshman season. Simmons would win another National Championship with Clemson his junior year, but the road did not go through Glendale that time.
Simmons was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and went to high school in Olathe, Kansas. Clemson University is located in Clemson, South Carolina.
Other former Fiesta Bowlers
This is the third straight draft that Cardinals have drafted a player who played in the Fiesta Bowl during their college career.
With the first pick in the second round of last year's draft, the Cardinals selected Washington cornerback Byron Murphy. Murphy had seven tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a deflected pass as a redshirt freshman in loss to Penn State in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. It was a return to the Valley for Murphy, who is a Scottsdale native and attended Saguaro High School in Scottsdale.
In the sixth round of the 2018 draft, the Cardinals selected another cornerback from the same game -- Penn State's Christian Campbell, who had four tackles in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl win over Washington. Campbell has never played a snap in the NFL though. The Cardinals cut him before the start of the 2018 season and has been signed and cut by two other teams since.
Mark Carlisle Associate Editor | Daily Independent @mwcarlisle
Mark is passionate about accurately informing his readers to what is happening in their community. He also loves reading and writing about sports.
Mark has worked for Independent Newsmedia for five years. He married his high school sweetheart, adopted a boxer mix, and awaits his first child.
By 
