Cliffs Notes: The earth stood still on Thursday as five-star 2024 Duncanville Edge Collin Simmons announced his commitment to the Longhorns after having his head turned by LSU less than two weeks ago during an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge.
Rankings: Here's the industry breakdown...
LSR (6.1) 5 star, No.1 in Texas
Rivals: (6.1) 5 star, No.5 overall nationally, No.1 in Texas
ESPN: (90) 5 star, No.7 overall nationally, No.1 in Texas
On3: (98) 5-star, No.4 overall nationally, No.1 in Texas
247: (98) 5 stars, No.27 overall nationally, No.6 in Texas
247 composite: (.9962) 5 stars, No.8 overall nationally, No.1 in Texas
Notable offers: Alabama (6/16 OV), Miami (6/9 OV), SMU (6/13 OV), LSU, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
Evaluation: When we talk about one of the top edge prospects from the state of Texas in the last three decades, there are three things that really stand out in my mind - elite of the elite burst off the ball and closing speed, insane production and playing his absolute best football when the stakes are the highest. Let's start with his explosiveness off the ball... it's pretty incredible (see below this section). Of all the five-star level edge rushers that the state of Texas has produced, Simmons' explosiveness off the ball is probably the best of any player I've covered. That elite burst makes him nearly unblockable at times at the high school level and terror for opposing offenses. His production at the high school level has been incredible, but in leading Duncanville to a state title last season, his performances reached new levels of dominance, which is probably the first time I have ever written that sentence about an edge player. If there's any concern about Simmons, it's that his physical profile (6-3, 225) is very similar to former five-star level prospects like Reggie Wilson (2010), Richetti Jones (2007), Eddie Jones (2006) that didn't live up to the hype.
Why it matters: Let's start with the fact that the Longhorns haven't signed a five-star edge prospect in 17 years (2006 Kilgore DE Eddie Jones). SEVENTEEN YEARS! Not only do players/prospects like Simmons not grow on trees, but the Longhorns haven't been able to land them wherever they've grown. It can't be stressed enough that this is a prospect that the Longhorns have been dying to land for almost two decades.
Expectations: The moment Simmons steps foot on campus, the expectation will be that he either starts or significantly contributes to the defense. Once he gets on the field, the expectation is that he'll be an All-America level defender/pass rusher that changes the entire scope of the Texas defense.
Math: The defensive end position ranks as one of the strongest bets of any position in the state of Texas when it comes to 4- and 5-star prospects. From 2004-2018, an eye-popping 32.1% of all 4- and 5-star prospects at the defensive end position were drafted by NFL teams. Nearly 40% have played on Sundays. Overall, 71.4% of Rivals five-star defensive ends from Texas have played in the NFL, with 57.1% of those players being drafted.
Must See: Junior highlights.
