Simmons, from Pioneer High School, is the No. 27 outside linebacker in the country, and the No. 11 player in Michigan according to 247Sports.
The 6-foot-1, 201 pounder was highly recruited with 40 scholarship offers according to his 247Sports profile, including ones from Michigan and Michigan State.
Why OSU? Here’s what Simmons’ high school coach Jari Brown told cleveland.com:
“I think a lot of people thought that because Michigan offered, that he was automatically going to go to Michigan. I told everyone and I knew the whole time that he wanted to go to a place where he felt he built the best relationship with the coaching staff. He just felt really comfortable with Ohio State. …
“People will say, ‘Why are you going to Ohio State when you were right across the street from Michigan?’ If Michigan would have came into the school, maybe gave him a little more time and made him feel comfortable, I they would have had a good shot. But it just wasn’t done that way. I think he made the right choice.”
About the Author