Redshirt junior defensive back Jordan Simone celebrates with his teammate during a game against USC on Oct. 4, 2014. ASU won against USC 38-34. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)When Jordan Simone graduated from Skyline High School in Sammamish, Washington, in 2011, his prospects of playing college football were bleak.
He had no scholarship offers and no options further away than Idaho.
Of all the recruiting websites out there, only Rivals.com gave him a profile page and even then he wasn't given even a single star.
It wasn't just because Simone played in a discrete northwestern town; his teammates gathered plenty of attention.
Skyline quarterback Jake Heaps was the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the nation the year before Simone. From Simone's class, wide receiver Kasen Williams was a four-star recruit committed to the University of Washington.
And yet, three years later, Simone, who was unranked, un-starred and poorly recruited, might be having the best season of them all.
Heaps has transferred twice, first from BYU to Kansas then again from Kansas to Miami, and is now a senior backup.
Williams battled injuries and only has six catches this season.
Simone, meanwhile, has the second most tackles on the Sun Devil defense and has one of the team's two interceptions. Against USC on Saturday, Simone recorded 20 tackles, which is more than any other player in Todd Graham's tenure with ASU and is the first 20 tackle mark for ASU since 1988.
"It's been fun, man. It's been fun," Simone said. "Pretty hectic couple months."
Those months have seen Simone transform from a walk-on special teams extraordinaire to a starting safety with a scholarship and one of the leaders on ASU's new-look defense.
When Alden Darby graduated, he left a 72-tackle, four-interception sized hole in the secondary. A throng of talented but inexperienced players battled for the spot opposite redshirt senior Damarious Randall.
It included redshirt freshman Marcus Ball (who had offers from Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame), redshirt freshman James Johnson (offers from UA, Colorado and Oregon State) and redshirt junior Ezekiel Bishop (UA, Colorado and Kansas State).
All these players had chosen ASU over other Pac-12 and major conference schools and yet Graham turned to the walk-on, a player who almost hung up his cleats for good after walking on at Washington State his freshman year and seeing the coaching staff fired.
If it weren't for safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball, Simone might be back home in Sammamish, rather than celebrating a come-from-behind win over No. 16 USC in Los Angeles.
Ball recruited Simone to WSU out of high school and convinced him to walk on and play special teams. Simone followed his brother, Gino, to WSU. Gino, however, lettered all four years and started 15 games as a wide receiver between 2009-12.
But, just like in Pullman, there were no scholarships for Simone at ASU. So he again followed in the footsteps of a family member. This time, it was his dad, Ronnie, who played at ASU from 1983-86. Ronnie walked on as a wide receiver and was awarded a scholarship as a junior.
"I talked to Coach Ball (after he left WSU) ... and he was like, 'If you ever want to play again, come down here,'" Simone said. "And I was like, 'I do.' And the rest is history."
Redshirt junior defensive back Jordan Simone celebrates with the crowd after winning against USC on Oct. 4, 2014. ASU won against 38-34. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)Moving is a difficult process for anyone, but moving from Pullman, Washington, to Tempe and then competing for a spot on a Division I football team could very well break a lesser man.
But Graham attests to Simone's strength, saying the safety is tough as nails and provides some of the best character and attitude on the team.
"It was tough coming down here and not really know anybody," Simone said. "But the team really took me in. And D.J. (Foster). And (Mike) Berco(vici). And Ellis (Jefferson)."
Simone named his three roommates and his three closest friends at ASU. He still has six of his best friends at Washington State, too, and he talks to them almost every day.
Simone and Bercovici are close enough that they even get confused for being brothers. They act like brothers, too, wrestling and joking with each other.
If they're asked about being related, Simone and Bercovici will usually play along.
"Who do you think's older?" they'll ask. "Who you do think beats who up?"
"It's always me, though, I can beat him up," Simone said.
There's no meet-cute behind this bromance, though. Bercovici spotted a new guy while stretching with the team and approached him.
'Hey, you look like a cool kid. Want to hang out this weekend?'
And, as Simone might say, the rest is history.
Quickly making those relationships when he arrived in Tempe helped Simone acclimate and get comfortable. It allowed him to pick up the scheme and instantly help on special teams.
Ball, who said Simone was also a special teams standout at WSU, believes playing well on special teams can sometimes foreshadow a player's success at his true position.
"I knew he had some special traits," Ball said. "Character, work ethic, smart, tough and talented."
As it turns out, Ball's hunch was right on the money. Each semester, Simone has impressed the coaches more and more. The difference, he says, is his maturity. Ball says he's a "much better" tackler.
Both are keys for improvement. But one doesn't walk on at one school, transfer to another and walk on there, then earn a starting spot and a scholarship without this:
"Want-to," Ball said. "He wants to be good, and he'll do whatever it takes to be good."
"If you want something in life, you've got to work for it," Simone said. "And that's ultimately what I did."
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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