 He led the 1978 Michigan Wolverines football team to its second straight 10-2 record with a defense that allowed only 88 points (8.0 points per game) in 11 regular season games.At the end of the 1978 season, Simpkins was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference linebacker.As a senior, Simpkins was Michigan's leading tackler for the third consecutive season, and he was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1979 Michigan Wolverines football team.