Diamond Simmons is in his second season as assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Bengals in 2025.
In 2024, his first year with Cincinnati and first on an NFL coaching staff, Simmons worked with several Bengals players as they returned to the field from in-season injuries. Among the most notable was WR Tee Higgins, who missed five total games but finished the season with a career-high 10 receiving TDs (tied for sixth-most in NFL). Simmons also helped in the recovery effort of Pro Bowl QB Joe Burrow, who missed the final seven contests of the 2023 campaign due to a wrist injury. Burrow returned to top form and had his best statistical season, leading the league in passing yards (4918) and TD passes (43) en route to earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
Simmons came to Cincinnati from UCLA, where he spent the 2021-23 seasons as associate director of football strength and conditioning. During his tenure, he helped the Bruins develop a powerful rushing offense which led the Pac-12 Conference in rushing yards per game in 2022 and '23. Simmons worked with 12 UCLA players who earned a total of 16 All-Pac-12 selections over his three seasons with the program.
Prior to UCLA, Simmons spent one season (2020) as assistant football strength and conditioning coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. That year, he helped implement a strength training program that was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Rebels played just six games.
Simmons spent the 2019 season as assistant athletics performance coach at the University of Missouri. He helped the Tigers shoot out to a 5-1 record, their best start through six games since 2013. Simmons worked with two players — LB Nick Bolton and TE Albert Okwuegbunam — who collected All-SEC honors.
Simmons in 2018 served as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where he worked with the Eagles' football, men's and women's basketball, track and field, cross country, men's golf, and rifle programs. He previously served as an intern for the football strength and conditioning staff at the University of Georgia during the spring of 2017.
Simmons was a four-year letter winner (2012-15) as a running back at the University of North Alabama. He played in 41 career games for the Lions and rushed for 1232 yards on 198 attempts with 15 TDs.
Simmons was born in Hanceville, Ala., on April 2, 1993. He graduated from North Alabama with a bachelor's degree in health, exercise and physical education in 2017, and earned a master's degree in health promotion from Concord University in 2024. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and is a Level 1 Sports Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting (USAW). In addition, Simmons has his Strength and Conditioning Coach Certification (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).
Playing and coaching history: 2012-15—Played RB at University of North Alabama. 2018—Assistant coach (AC), Morehead State University. 2019—AC, Missouri. 2020—AC, Nevada-Las Vegas. 2021-23—AC, UCLA. 2024-present—AC, Cincinnati Bengals.
