Colin Simmons’ Commitment Preview

Five-star defensive end Colin Simmons will be announcing his decision on Thursday, August 10^th at 3pm. The 6’3-225lb edge rusher out of Duncanville, Texas has nearly fifty scholarship offers, but heading into this week’s ceremony has narrowed his list down to a top three of Miami, LSU, and Texas. The number four player in the nation will be making his announcement on a live stream with 247sports.

Simmons is an elite pass rusher coming off of the edge and racked up 22.5 sacks during his junior season while playing in a top division of Texas high school football. The Duncanville High School product has elite speed and a great first step that allows him to beat offensive tackles with ease. Simmons’ athleticism, length and production have landed him a five-star rating on every major recruiting site and a top-10 composite ranking.

Simmons took official visits to Miami and Texas in June but has yet to take an official visit to LSU. However, Simmons has been on campus in Baton Rouge multiple times for unofficial visits in recent months. LSU seemed to be out in front of Simmons’ recruitment for the past few months, but the Tigers’ defensive line coach recently stepped away due to health concerns and that seems to have shaken things up. 

Canes’ defensive line coach Jason Taylor has done a great job of building a relationship with Simmons and his family. Simmons’ mother has gone on record discussing how amazing of a coach Jason Taylor is and how she would feel very comfortable with him coaching her son. Texas is the hometown team and has been a major threat from the start, but some close to Simmons believe he wants to leave the state for college. The top ranked defensive end has kept things very close to the vest throughout the process and has reportedly not informed anyone of his decision yet.

PREDICTION: Miami

While the private nature of his recruitment still makes his decision relatively unclear, I’m leaning toward Miami for the talented Texas five star. Recent developments in his recruitment have made Miami more confident than ever and Jason Taylor’s bond with Simmons and his family could be the deciding factor. Having a position coach that played the same position in a similar style at a Hall of Fame level has been extremely intriguing for Simmons. 

Family is a super important aspect in Simmons’ recruitment, especially his younger brother. Simmons is extremely close with his younger brother who has autism and Miami has consistently gone above and beyond to build that relationship and make Simmons’ family a priority. This isn’t the most confident I have felt in a prediction, but I think the relationships that Miami has built along with recent changes at other schools will lead to the Canes winning out.