Simon Says: Huntington head coach excited about first season with Raiders
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
With his youngest son, James, off to play his college football at the University of Texas, John Simon glanced into his own future.
Now that James and Jay, a redshirt freshman wide receiver at Louisiana Tech, were pursuing their dreams on the collegiate level, that left Simon to consider an avenue that would allow him and his wife Cecelia, to continue to support their children and attend as many of their games as possible.
Simon had spent 14 of the past 15 years serving as either a high school or college assistant football coach, with the last two at Grambling State, where he was the co-offensive coordinator. He wanted to create an opportunity that kept him around the game, while allowing him the freedom to travel and watch his son’s play.
Huntington High found itself in the market for a head football coach when Stephen Dennis resigned on Jan. 3 to become the head coach at Benton. He guided the Raiders to six straight trips to the state playoffs, the last three in Division I/Class 5A level.
Because of his familiarity with the Shreveport area, where his two sons starred at Calvary Baptist, Simon said the Huntington position quickly appeared on his radar and came to fruition with his hiring less than two weeks after Dennis’ resignation.
The 46-year-old Simon leads Huntington into jamboree action at 7 p.m. Thursday at Northwood. The Raiders travel to open the season next Thursday at West Monroe at 7 p.m.
“The timing is perfect with my two boys in college,” said Simon, a former standout running back at Southern Lab and Louisiana Tech, who played for three years in the NFL. “It allows me to pour into the next generation of kids and be a part of a community, and then also have the time to go see my sons on the weekends. I was always struggling with how I was going to be there to watch my kids play. I’m excited with how this worked out and where I am. I’m excited to be part of a great school with huge tradition and community support.”
Simon makes his head coaching debut in his home state 16 years after serving as the interim head coach at Franklin D. Roosevelt in Dallas in 2011. He spent all but one year coaching, with one year as the school’s athletic director.
His coaching journey had taken a distinct turn toward college with stops at Southern Mississippi, UL-Lafayette, Arizona State, Memphis, and Grambling State.
Simon’s background was more on the offensive side of the football, coaching running backs and wide receivers, and was the passing game coordinator at Memphis, until taking over as co-offensive coordinator under Hue Jackson at Grambling.
“God wants us to be present where our feet are planted,” he said. “Regardless of the position or where you work, or what level. We’re here to honor God with how we work at the position we’re in while we’re in that position.”
A big part of the vocation Simon chose is rooted in his ability to impact young lives, the same way a group of men helped show him the way.
Michael Watson was part of a coaching staff in the Glen Oaks area of Baton Rouge that coached Simon at the age of 7 with the Baton Rouge Bandits.
“I’ve been blessed since Little League, I’ve had some strong men in my life,” he said. “They (Bandits’ coaching staff gave me rides, held me accountable when I needed some tough love.”
Michael Roach was Simon’s head coach for three years at Southern Lab, with Gerald Kimble coaching him as a senior.
“I had a strong foundation of coaches that taught me a lot,” Simon added, former Baton Rouge-area high school coach Robert Signater. “Coach Roach was huge in my life. They’ve molded me into the man that I am today.”
Simon went to Louisiana Tech (1997-01), where he was eighth in single-season all-purpose yards with 1,695 in 2000. He concluded his career sixth all-time with 4,852 yards.
He set a then NCAA record with a pass reception in 36 consecutive games, helping the Bulldogs to their first Western Athletic Conference championship in ’01.
Simon was a two-time All-Louisiana first team selection at wide receiver in 00-’01, topping La. Tech with 71 receptions for 743 yards, including seven 100-yard performances, for four TDs in ’01. His career totals of 261 catches for 2,596 yards were good enough for fifth and ninth, respectively, on the school’s career list.
Moreover, Simon was the recipient of the Humanitarian award at the Humanitarian Bowl and was the recipient of the Louisiana Tech President’s Award.
“At some point you’ve got to give back to your community,” said Simon, also a motivational speaker and creator of a non-profit organization (I.M.A.G.E.) that helps minorities and at-risk youths. “I had that itch. I got a couple of calls about the opportunity coach. When the Huntington job came available, it was a no-brainer from what everyone’s told me about the community, the influx of talent that comes in year in and year out. It was an amazing opportunity for me and my family.”
Simon acknowledges that his time in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans (2002) and then Washington Redskins (2003-04), where he was a running back and return specialist, gained him instant credibility with teenagers. But he’s also quick to point out that his stature as a former player with NFL experience is no match for the constant passion and guidance he’s given to players.
“You can get their ear, but in order to keep their ear, they’ve got to know that you really care about them and it’s not about you,” he said. “You’re really there to pour into them and that you care about them. The NFL does get their ear, but it’s the love and the care for the kids that’s going to keep it.”
Part of Simon’s development as a coach took place in the NFL and NCAA Coaches Academy, where he had a chance to build connections and develop leadership skills.
Not only did Simon handle position groups at Southern Mississippi and Arizona State, but he was also entrusted to oversee the passing game at Memphis and the offense at Grambling. He was elevated to the Tigers’ interim head coach when Jackson was fired after a second straight losing season at the end of the ’23 season.
“The opportunity was perfect for me and my family to go into college,” said Simon, who spent 2024 out of coaching. “It seems like the perfect timing for us now. It’s (having two sons playing at two different schools) going to cause us to split up a bit and go in different directions for the season.”
Huntington was a consistent winner under Dennis with 39 wins and six playoff appearances over the past six seasons. The Raiders went 7-6 last season, losing to eventual Division I select state champion Karr in the second round of the postseason.
The challenge, though, is steep in Simon’s first season, where Huntington graduated 36 seniors from last year’s team.
“I’m excited about where we are, I’m excited with the direction that we’re headed as a program,” Simon said. “We’ve got a young team losing 36 seniors. West Monroe (a 40-7 winner in last year’s opener) is a very good program with a lot of history that understands winning, finishing and playing hard. It’s going to be a good test for us in Week 1. At the end of the day, I just want to see our kids play well and do their best.
“The staff has done an unbelievable job in the time we’ve been here of pouring into the kids and getting the buy-in, and the kids have done an unbelievable job of buying in,” Simon said. “Kudos to the staff since we’ve been here with the effort and energy to fast-forward the learning curve.”
Huntington will feature an offense with multiple formations, an array of personnel that wants to move at a rapid pace.
“We’re going to try to run it hard and throw it deep,” Simon said.
Senior Justin Whitaker, a transfer from South Oak Cliff in Dallas, will be the team’s quarterback and has junior wide receiver Adrian Johnson (19 catches, 279 yards, TD) back among a sparse number of players with playing experience that includes senior wide receiver Caiden Starks.
“We’re excited about him,” Simon said of Whitaker. “He (Johnson) should be a big player for us. He’s worked hard and is extremely passionate about the game in the offseason. He’s a sponge looking for more knowledge. He’s going to be a D1 guy someday.”
Senior center Royuan Jackson is the lone returning starter on the offensive line that also boasts massive 6-foot-6 juniors Bryson Spencer and Kiran Pea (6-6, Jr.). Christian Greer, 6-3, 235-pounder, is a senior tight end.
The Raiders were hit extremely hard by graduation on defense with the loss of their top nine tacklers. To compound matters, the returning leading tackler, senior outside linebacker/safety Charles Tieul Jr., suffered a torn ACL in the spring and will miss the season.
“You’re going to see the talent, but it’s young talent,” Simon said. We’re not going to do it right all the time, but you’re going to see some guys play hard and make some plays. We’re going to be a competitive team all year.”
Junior defensive end Joshua Fisher will be counted on to lead the team’s interior, along with the help of junior D.J. Kinchen and Geordan Coleman. Junior safety/cornerback Braydon Cummings will be a key in the secondary, and the Raiders will also benefit from Evangel Christian two-way transfer Nate Green at wide receiver and defensive back.
“We’ve put everything in practice,” Simon said. “If you put everything in your effort in practice and preparation, and when you get to game day, it’s in God’s hands. You just go out and honor HIM with all of your efforts and everything that you do, everything that you’ve learned, and that releases the stress. The kids know that we’re going to celebrate once the game is over, whether we win or lose, because of the work we put in to get to that point.
“We feel we’ve passed that (learning curve), and we’ve got to focus on the discipline and the details of the assignments,” Simon said. “I like where we are, and we have to get some experience with those young guys. We’re going to be a team that’s going to get better all year. That’s all you can ask for.”
Featured Image Courtesy of Sam Spiegelman on X