From a sneaky childhood start to NFL dreams, Boise State linebacker’s life is football

For Andrew Simpson, the moments he’s not doing something football-related pale in comparison to the time he spends focusing on the sport.

“(Football’s) really our life,” Simpson, a redshirt junior linebacker for Boise State, told the Idaho Statesman last week, ahead of the team’s home-opening win against Portland State.

When Simpson’s not in the gym or practicing, he’s in the film room at the Bleymaier Football Center. When he’s not watching film there, he’s likely watching it at home. If he’s not watching himself and trying to improve, he’s watching the next opponent and finding weaknesses he can exploit.

“The time you spend on this game is never going to be enough,” Simpson said.

Whatever time Simpson has been spending, it’s working.

Simpson started the 2024 season with three forced fumbles and 14 tackles, including three for a loss, in three games. After redshirting his freshman year in 2021, Simpson forced no fumbles in 2022 and then two in 2023. Now he’s looking to better that number by a lot.

Forcing fumbles, in fact, is one of the facets of the game that Simpson says he focused on in the offseason. Instead of jumping into a pile of players, Simpson said he lets the game “slow down” around him and waits for the right moment to attack the ball carrier.

“If he’s not worried about the ball, and you are, it’s probably going to come out,” Simpson said. “It’s a belief thing. Every time you punch that ball or try to strip them, you’ve got to believe it’s coming out.”

Simpson has solidified himself as a vital part of the Broncos’ defense the past two years. His 14 tackles are tied for third most on the team, and his three forced fumbles lead the defense.

In the 2023 season, Simpson was third on the team with 66 tackles, including 6.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions.

“I think he’s got immense talent; it’s always with him,” inside linebackers coach Stacy Collins told the Statesman. “It’s just making sure that we’re hitting the fine-tune points off of that. And I think these last couple weeks he’s shown how he’s grown and developed in that area.”

Making football part of the family

Simpson first got into football when he was 5 years old. Even though he loved football, his father didn’t want him to play even flag football at such a young age. But his mother was able to sneak him into a league to let him play a few years early.

Simpson’s older brother of two years, Jordan — now a senior quarterback at NAIA school Missouri Baptist — was already playing football at the time. All of a sudden, the duo’s life began to revolve around football. Prior to that, he said, they had been more of a basketball family.

Things changed quickly.

“My dad, he loved football. Everything we did every day revolved around football,” Simpson said. “He had us at the park or the track, or doing anything we could at a really, really early age ... because he just wanted to make sure that we were good enough to get on the field, and he really set the foundation for us.”

Simpson fondly remembers how, when he was as young as 8, his dad would sometimes have the pair of them practice twice a day.

Simpson went on to play high school football at St. John Bosco, a school near his hometown of Norwalk, California, in between Los Angeles and Anaheim. In Simpson’s junior year, the school went 14-0 and was ranked as the country’s No. 1 high school team. Soon after, Simpson was ranked as a three-star recruit.

Simpson’s goal was always to get recruited, but what made it extra special was that he became the first person in his family to play Division I football.

He continues to hold that closely. He has a younger cousin who just started playing on the offensive line in high school.

“I know the people coming behind me are looking up to me to have a positive image and be a positive role model for the youth,” Simpson said. “So I take that seriously. I want to be somebody that people can look up to, and keep the standard high for myself and my family.”

Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said he can see that mentality in Simpson, as well as other players who have come up under similar circumstances.

“The first in your family to play football,” Chinander said, “potentially the first in your family to play professional sports or have that degree and be able to do whatever you want in business or other endeavors, post-football. That means a lot.”

Simpson still has a year of eligibility at Boise State. Eventually, he would love to end up in the NFL. He said he grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan.

“At a young age, I probably didn’t even know what it took to get to the NFL before I wanted to get there,” Simpson said.

“I knew Boise State was the perfect school to go to if you want to be seen by a lot of people and by scouts, and make plays that matter on national TV and everybody cares about it. So the NFL is definitely something that I’m looking forward to, and I’m hoping it all works out for me.”