Recruiting Insider: Texas still trending for Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons

Duncanville (Texas) Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons leads one of the most hotly contested recruitments in the country as we head toward the end of July.

Simmons, the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking, has yet to publicly narrow down his list. But a group of top contenders have emerged. LSU, Texas and Texas A&M are considered by most to be at the top, with Miami, Oregon and Alabama in a distant 4-5-6.

On Wednesday, Simmons tweeted that a commitment date was coming soon. A little less than 24 hours later, On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons confirmed that the nation’s top edge rusher will be at LSU this weekend for the Tigers’ big recruiting event and might also make a stop in College Station.

But heading into those visits, the Tigers and Aggies are looking up at future SEC rival Texas in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Following a trio of expert picks in the Longhorns’ favor, Texas holds a 58.5 percent chance of securing his commitment.

Texas still in a ‘good spot’ with Colin Simmons

One of those picks came from Texas insider and longtime national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton, who reiterated on Thursday that he feels good about the Longhorns’ chances.

“I’m still sticking with it,” Hamilton during On3’s Inside Scoop recruiting show. “I think it’s right there. I put in my pick at 65 percent on the RPM, and I’m still about there. Look, as these recruitments come closer to the end, they’re always going to get tight, right? That’s just the way this business is. We’re going to talk about other guys the same way.

… LSU and A&M, he was always going to stay close to home. So I’ve always said Texas, LSU and Texas A&M were the three schools. In Colin Simmons’ recruitment, it’s been Texas-LSU with A&M a distant third. And I still think that’s where this recruitment is at today.”

Longhorns pushing for him to stay home

In May, Chad Simmons caught up with him about the contenders in his recruitment and what stands out about each program. The Longhorns have always had a strong presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and they want Simmons to be next in line to star on the Forty Acres.

“I’m from Texas, it’s the home state team,” he said. “Austin is an up and coming 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.”