BREAKING: Miami flips DT Donta Simpson from Maryland
Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep three-star 2025 defensive tackle Donta Simpson has flipped from Maryland to Miami, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound prospect announced Friday evening. His commitment gives the Hurricanes their 20th commitment of the year and first pledge of the month.
Simpson, the No. 649 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking and No. 57 defensive lineman in the class, committed to Maryland June 23 following his summer official visits but began communicating with Miami’s staff last week. The Hurricanes had previously had nominal contact with the local defensive tackle, who lives within an hour of Coral Gables, but quickly captured his attention after reaching out and expressing interest.
Simpson attended Miami’s end-of-summer recruiting cookout last Saturday for his first formal trip to campus as a recruit. The Hurricanes offered him during his visit and remained in steady contact over the last week and impressed the local prospect.
“Basically, they were just showing me that I might as well stay in my backyard,” Simpson told CaneSport earlier this week. “There’s no point in going out of town for college. Might as well just stay in the backyard where I’m from.”
Simpson is now the fourth Chaminade-Madonna player to commit to Miami in the last two recruiting cycles and second this year. The Hurricanes also landed four-star receiver Joshisa Trader and four-star safety Zaquan Patterson in the 2024 cycle and nabbed 2025 four-star cornerback Chris Ewald earlier this summer.
FAU had also been in contact with Simpson.
“It feels like family down there,” Simpson said earlier this week. “Everybody greeted me in a certain type of way, and it just felt like family. I felt the vibes today and there were good vibes today. They get after it in practice. They like hard work. That’s what they’re about.”
CaneSport’s Take
Simpson looks like a good pickup for Miami in a recruiting class relatively light on overall defensive tackle talent and should offer the Hurricanes some breathing room about the position’s recruiting. Miami is still after Chicago-area defensive lineman and Michigan commit Nate Marshall and Florida State commit Myron Charles, who also attended Miami’s cookout, although much is still up in the air about the position’s recruiting. Miami is still in pursuit of Five-Star Plus+ defensive tackle Elijah Griffin as well.
