The Bronco who is being called "God" at his alma mater

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — He’s the reason the Denver Broncos felt comfortable moving on from T.J. Ward.

He was the shining bright spot of an otherwise dark, 5-11 season.

He regularly catches praise from teammates and coaches.

He won the 2017 Darrent Williams Good Guy Award, given to the player who best exemplifies Williams’ enthusiasm, cooperation and honesty while dealing with members of the press.

He’s the best young player on the Denver Broncos.

Justin Simmons is building a legacy in Denver, but some 1,700 miles East of Denver, Simmons’ legacy is etched in stone.

“He’s the G.O.A.T at B.C.,” said new Bronco and fellow Boston College Eagle, Issac Yiadom, shortly after being introduced to the Denver media.

“He knows it. He won’t say it, but we say it all the time,” Yiadom added. “He’s always like, ‘Stop, stop,’ and we’re like, ‘No, you’re the G.O.A.T.”

As a senior at Boston College, Simmons was named team MVP as a member of the No. 1 defense in the nation. He was named a second-team all conference player by multiple outlets. He picked off five balls and recovered three fumbles. During his career, he appeared in all 50 possible games.

That’s all impressive, but  G.O.A.T. status? Well, there’s a little more to that.

“We always laugh about it, we’re like, ‘Justin is God. He’s the perfect man,'” Yiadom explained. “It’s crazy, you never see Justin get mad. He’ll talk to every single person in the media, go do community service and come out on the field and do what he has to do 100 percent at a great level. That’s what makes Justin such a great person, he’s always smiling, he’s so outgoing, and at the same time he’s always going to take a second to just say ‘hi’ to you or introduce himself to you, that’s what makes him a great person. Everybody wants to be like him.”

You want to talk about a coach’s dream. Imagine having a player so good off of the field that two years after he’s left the program, players are still talking about it. Or, even better, trying to live up to it.

“In our locker room, Justin is really highly praised and honored,” Yiadom said. “We always say that Justin set the bar up here for us, and after that, it was John Johnson with the Rams now, and it’s me, [former Boston College DB] Kamrin [Moore] and Gabe [McClary] right now and so on. Every single year we know that we have such a high expectation at B.C. because of Justin that we all have to fulfill. We all stay in touch with Justin every day, and he still talks to us. It’s something that keeps us going.”

As for Yiadom, Simmons is his go-to, whether he wants to talk about faith or football. He refers to Justin—the teammate who hosted his official visit when he was being recruited to BC—as his “big brother,” and he’s followed in big bro’s footsteps pretty well. From being a fellow recipient of the Jay McGillis Memorial Scholarship—given to the BC defensive back who best exemplifies the personal qualities of team dedication and leadership by example, an extraordinary competitive spirit, and personal concern for family, friends, and teammates—to now being a Denver Bronco.

“I think it’s going to help me a lot,” he said of playing with a role model like Simmons. “I know If I have any questions I can ask the coaches or Justin. He’ll help me on and off the field. I know he’s got high expectations for me, so I could never let myself go underneath the bar because I know he’s looking at me and everybody else.”

Justin Simmons is the best draft pick the Broncos have made in years, so maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they centered their draft around players who have left similar legacies at their respective schools, and even one who flat out admits he emulates the third-year player.