What to make of Chris Simms, at first proud to be a Vol but now happy to be
a ‘Horn?
The prep quarterback prodigy dropped a bombshell on the Tennessee coaching
staff Monday by backing out of his verbal commitment to the Vols, made on a
New York television show in December, and switching to the other UT, the
University of Texas.
Several reasons for the change of heart have surfaced: He wasn’t sure new
offensive coordinator Randy Sanders could develop quarterbacks; Texas is an
up-and-coming program and the Vols are on the way down; He was afraid of
riding the bench, what with Tee Martin still in town and the competitive
A.J. Suggs already on the scene.
Simms himself, though, has allegedly said that he wanted to go to Texas all
the time but that his father, Phil Simms, a former star quarterback with
the New York Giants, wanted him to go to Tennessee.
The real reasons for Simms’ decision, which puts the UT coaching staff in a
bind with the Feb. 3 National Signing Day fast approaching, may never be
known.
Rumors of a possible de-commitment by Simms surfaced last week, but it
still came as a bit of a shock when word arrived that he would not honor
his verbal commitment.
Simms was the nation’s consensus No. 1 prep offensive player last season at
Ramapo High in Franklin Lakes, N.J. He originally picked Tennessee over
Texas and Penn State.
Now, he will likely become part of a Texas freshman class which will, in
all likelihood, be the nation’s best. The Longhorns also have a verbal
commitment from Cory Redding, considered the nation’s No. 1 prep defensive
player.
The Vols, on the other hand, are now considered to be in disarray. Are
they?
They have not, as of press time, received a commitment from a wide
receiver. With only junior-to-be Cedrick Wilson returning with any
experience, one would think recruits with any pass-catching talent at all
would be lining up at coach Phil Fulmer’s front door.
They aren’t.
The nation’s No. 1 wide receiver, Durrell Robinson of South Carolina, has
hedged on committing to UT, while Georgia has made up serious ground in his
recruitment.
On the defensive side, one of the Vols’ top targets, linebacker Bradie
James of Louisiana, shockingly called Vols coaches “arrogant” upon his
return home from his official visit to Knoxville. Certain now to sign with
LSU, James went on to say he can’t wait to play against, and beat,
Tennessee.
In the meantime, SEC rivals Alabama, Georgia and Florida are putting
together top-five classes. The Vols, once considered to potentially have
the best class of recruits, are now dropping fast.
They will likely attempt to fill the hole left by Simms with another
quarterback. It’s a little late now, though.
Coaching turnover has put a wrench in the Vols’ recruiting, which was
expected to be very strong after winning a national championship. Tennessee
has recruited some impressive talent at both offensive and defensive lines,
but there are some gaping holes to fill.
Linebacker is a priority which has not, as of yet, been addressed.
Of course, nothing is set in stone until the recruits sign on the dotted
line, which they will do next Wednesday.
Tennessee could still reel in a few more gems. They have just 18
scholarships to offer, and it is now likely they will not surpass that
number.
With 14 returning starters next season, though, Tennessee is in good shape
for the immediate future.
Back to Simms for a moment.
He is merely a high-schooler. Sometimes kids change their minds.
However, it is also fair to say that if he had any respect for the
Tennessee coaches and program, he would have made this about-face a little
sooner.
Simms has a lot at stake as well. It can be assumed he is looking at
college as a vehicle for launching an eventual pro career. His decision was
not taken lightly.
However, it would have been nice if he had shown the Vols a little respect
by either de-committing earlier or not committing at all.
