CLEMSON — A former Clemson linebacker is staying put in the NFL.

Isaiah Simmons, who played last year for the Carolina Panthers, is staying in Charlotte for the 2026 season. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapport reported Simmons resigned with the Panthers on Tuesday.

At Clemson, Simmons won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker, as he transitioned from safety to a hybrid linebacker/safety/nickel back in his final two years at Clemson. In 2019, he became the sixth unanimous All-American in school history, joining Terry Kinard (1982), Gaines Adams (2006), C.J. Spiller (2009), Da’Quan Bowers (2010) and Christian Wilkins (2018).

Simmons was also the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-ACC selection in 2019, as he helped lead the Tigers to the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He was also a member of the 2016 and 2018 National Championship teams at Clemson.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound versatile athlete was selected No. 8 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Simmons played three seasons in Arizona before moving to New York and playing for the Giants for two seasons. In 2025, he signed with Green Bay in the off-season before being released and picked up by the Panthers.

After being cut by the Packers in August of 2025, he sat out of football until the Panthers signed him to the practice squad on November 25, 2025. Simmons was signed to the active roster following Trevin Wallace’s move to injured reserve on December 27, 2025.

In Carolina’s Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, Simmons blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter that set up an eventual go-ahead touchdown. However, the Rams rallied in the final minute to win the game.

Simmons has 329 career tackles in his six-year NFL career, including 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He also has forced nine fumbles, recovered three and has five interceptions.