MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Marcus Simms’ college career is over.
The former West Virginia wide receiver, who entered the NCAA transfer portal in April, has instead filed paperwork to enter the NFL’s supplemental draft. A source confirmed Simms’ intention to enter the draft with MetroNews. Simms’ decision was first reported by Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.
Simms’ ability to play elsewhere next season — even at the FCS level — was clouded by his connection to an alleged violation of West Virginia’s student code of conduct that would have affected his eligibility since transfers still need to be in good academic standing. Starting safety Kenny Robinson also left the program for similar reasons.
The supplemental draft is held every summer, typically involving players who lose their eligibility for the upcoming college season after the regular draft is held in the spring. Two players were taken in the supplemental draft last year, marking the first time that it was used since 2015.
Teams bid on players based on which round they would take that player in the regular draft. If a team picks a player, it forfeits its pick from the corresponding round the following year. For example, if a team used a fifth-round choice on Simms in the supplemental draft, it would lose its fifth-round pick in 2020.
If Simms is drafted, he would be the sixth Mountaineer selected by an NFL team in 2019.
Simms finished his West Virginia career with 87 career receptions for 1,457 yards and eight touchdowns.
Simms caught WVU’s previous coaching staff by surprise when he pulled himself from the lineup shortly before the Camping World Bowl against Syracuse due to a hamstring injury. He missed all but two of WVU’s spring practices, first to deal with the hamstring and then for what Brown categorized as a personal issue. At the end of April, Simms announced that he was entering the transfer portal.