Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons set for return trip to LSU

Duncanville (Texas) Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons has fans and coaches from multiple schools on the edge of their seat.

On Wednesday, Simmons tweeted that a commitment date was coming soon. When that actually is hasn’t been determined yet, but a handful of schools are still in the thick of this race.

LSU, Texas and Texas A&M are considered the strongest contenders right now, and after the Longhorns hosted him in June for an official visit, the Tigers will get him back to Baton Rouge next weekend, his mother confirmed to On3.

Brian Kelly and Co. will get him back on campus July 28, and Texas A&M is also working to get him to College Station the following day, but nothing has been finalized. Neither the Tigers nor the Aggies have hosted him for official visits yet, but he is tentatively scheduled for one in Baton Rouge in November.

The initial plan for Simmons was to take his recruitment all the way until December, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a commitment sooner. Regardless of when he decides, no school involved in this race will give up until ink hits paper the third week in December.

Simmons is the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks both as the nation’s No. 1 EDGE and the No. 1 recruit in Texas.

Colin Simmons broke down his top contenders in May

At the On3 NIL Elite Series event in May, Simmons talked about each of the schools he was still strongly considering:

Texas: “I’m from Texas, it’s the home state team. Austin is an upcoming city and there’s a lot of potential I see out there. I feel like Austin, Texas is going to be — and not just UT itself — up in the next couple of years. Their pitch is honestly just that they need me and want me real bad, especially at my position.

… [Coach Sark is] definitely top two head coaches that I’ve ever met, not only high school but just that I’ve ever met. I love everything about him, his personality, everything. He’s outgoing, he’s outstanding.”

Texas A&M: “Jimbo, really the whole defensive staff, honestly they’re all trying to get at me. They’re the ones who point out family more than any other school that I’ve been at. Especially my mom. That second visit I went back to A&M, they wanted her to come visit so bad. They’ve shown a lot of love to me and my family always, every holiday it’s amazing. … At the beginning, they were kind of in the middle of my recruitment and then started to decrease and now they’re coming up each and every day.”

Miami: “The love that the coaching staff gave to all of us [stood out on my visit]. Not just me, but all the recruits that were there. Three or four recruits there, and the whole coaching staff gave us love, each and every person. It was crazy. At first, I didn’t know he was that big until I had to look him up. He’s that guy there at Miami. Especially since he played my position in the league for many years, he could teach me so much. And he’s already taught me a lot being in that room and watching my film. It was the first time a coach told me what I was doing wrong instead of what I was doing right.”

Oregon: “Dan Lanning, Coach Lupoi, they’re my guys. They’re defensive coaches too, and they can really teach me something. I loved Oregon when I went out there; it was beautiful to me. I don’t care what anybody says, I like it out there. It’s far from home, but eventually you’re going to have to make sacrifices but Oregon, I love it. Nike plays a big part for Oregon also, the branding, the connections, all of it. I’m a big fan of Nike, so I love everything about Oregon.”

LSU: “Coach Cain was the guy. He had a great understanding of me, we see eye-to-eye and the love was there. But it wasn’t just with him, it was the whole coaching staff. They feel good out there. I like the atmosphere, the fans, the diversity, it’s a great atmosphere honestly.”

Alabama: “They’ve had some ups and downs with me because of the coaching staff leaving and coming in, but now they’re back. But now that they’re established and set up, they’re on the road to recruiting me hard now. It’s a championship team. I know they have the resources and the tools to develop me and to create a monster out of me so that I can become one of the best players in the world. I feel like ‘Bama is a great environment, and they have the resources to build and develop me.”