About Jesse

Jesse Simmons is a former collegiate athlete, and recent graduate of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, where he now works as a Broadcaster with ESPN+ while spearheading Stetson University's first NIL Fund, "The Hatters Collective Group" as a weekly show host and marketing ambassador. 

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After receiving baseball scholarships to Belmont Abbey College in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida, Jesse suffered multiple injuries (from breaking his scaphoid bone in his wrist to tearing his labrum) needing four surgeries.

He then decided to step away from the playing field to pursue a career in sports journalism and broadcasting to feed a newfound passion: connecting with athletes to tell their stories and give them a platform to share their voice to inspire others. 

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While pursuing his academic and professional career, Jesse is the proud co-founder of, "Every Child Matters" a 501(c) non-profit organization based out of Coral Springs, Florida. ECM's purpose is to elevate the underprivileged Haitian youth of South Florida through fundraising for school supplies, clothing, toys, field trips, and connecting with mentors in local schools.

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Jesse is also the host of  "Elevate and Motivate" mental health/motivational podcast for athletes and people alike to share their testimonies of turning a hardship into a positive example for others. The podcast is available on all platforms and every listen raises proceeds towards ECM. 

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One of his most valuable roles while at UF was contributing as a morning news writer for ESPN Gainesville/ WRUF 98.1, covering baseball, football, volleyball and basketball writing morning sports stories and game recaps for multiple other sports as well.

He also worked for the Florida Gators football team as an athletic training assistant in the Sports Medicine Department through hydration preparation, assisting players with pre and during practice taping along with maintaining a healthy status to participate in activities. This has helped Jesse continue to build a network and gain firsthand experience interacting with athletes and seeing the sports through their eyes today as well.

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Since trading in his cleats for a microphone, Jesse has held multiple internships and participated in a wide variety of sporting events and experiences stretching across many states. These experiences are explained in detail under the subheadings of the "My Work" page above.

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