When Clemson played Alabama in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, it was the first time Isaiah Simmons ever paid attention to Clemson.

What got his attention was all the stuff on social media the program puts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

“I was like, ‘It would be real cool to play there. I can only imagine,’” Simmons said.

At the time, the Olathe, Kansas native was not been recruiting by any of the big schools. However, he felt as if he could play for any of them, so he sent his game film to all the powerhouses in college football.

“I felt like I was personally good enough to play there,” Simmons said. “I was not being recruited by any of those schools that much, schools like Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma. So, I felt like I was good enough.”

Clemson did too.

One day after the football season, Simmons walked into his school and his coach asked him if he got a call from Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables.

“I was like, ‘Who is that? I don’t even know who that is,’” Simmons said. “Of course, with the internet, I looked him up and I was like ‘No, I didn’t.’ Then he came out to see me and ever since then it was kind of all she wrote.”

Ever since then Simmons has been a Clemson Tiger and now the All-American candidate is expected to be a leader on team that will enter the season as the defending national champions and as the top-ranked team in the country.

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