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Ward Discusses Simmons' Decision
McKeesport (Pa.) head coach Jim Ward has been involved with Delvon
Simmons' recruitment from the beginning and he spent some time with
RRS tonight to give us
an idea of what it was that ultimately put Texas Tech over the top.
"I think it was the people, and when I say that, it encompasses quite a few
people too. From the coaching staff, led by Robert Prunty and Coach (Tommy)
Tuberville, to the people he got to meet on his visit that are tied to the
university. They all made quite an impression on him," Ward said. "I know that a
lot of the other Tech recruits from their 2011 class have been texting Delvon as
well. I think it was something that made him feel the most comfortable at Tech
when it was all said and done.
"Obviously he also has Branden (Jackson) going to school there. Desimon Green is
another Pennsylvania guy that's headed to Tech and Delvon doesn't know him real
well, but they do know each other somewhat. I think all of those things combined
really pushed it over the edge for Tech."
Ward indicated that Simmons was close to a decision a few weeks ago, but in an
effort to be sure he was making the right choice, he decided to rethink things
one more time.
"I think he really had continued to go back and forth for the most part. I know
there was one point not long ago where he was pretty close to choosing Texas
Tech," he said. "He was pretty sure of his decision, but he took some time to
kind of rethink the whole thing again to be certain. Sometimes it felt like this
thing was never going to end.
"When you look at the overall picture, both programs are very different, but
they both offer some great opportunities. In the end he could only pick one and
he was going to have to turn down a great university either way. I think that's
what he was hating the most, just the difficulty that comes with turning down
one of the programs he had built such a good relationship with.
"The last few days I think that he was really starting to hone in on Texas Tech
and I know he's been talking with his family about it a lot this week. Late last
night he gave me a call and let me know that he wanted to be a Red Raider."
Now all that's left to be determined is when Simmons will get a qualifying test
score.
"He's got some points he needs to gain and we've estimated that to be around 20.
We've undergone a few tutoring sessions to this point and those will be amped up
even more in the next few weeks. I am fully confident that he'll get what is
needed to qualify," Wards said. "Delvon is actually a very intelligent guy and a
pretty good student.
"Early on in his high school career I don't think he was as mature as he is now
and he kind of got off to a slow start academically. The light kind of came on
for him his sophomore year and I have no doubt that someday he'll be getting a
degree from Texas Tech. The degree is important to him and he's worked hard to
get to this point, academically speaking. He won't let it slip away. I have all
the confidence in the world in him on that front."
The people of Texas Tech seem to be the driving force behind the decision for
Simmons, and one person in particular really stood out -- a person that you
won't find on the Red Raider coaching staff.
"Delvon had a chance to meet the Chancellor (Kent) Hance when he was there on
his visit. He talked a lot about how impressed he was with Delvon just solely as
a person. He talked a lot about how much he'd like have Delvon as a student at
Texas Tech, whether he plays football or not. I think that meant a lot to
Delvon," Ward said. "Being viewed as more than just a football player is not
something he got from everyone else and I think that really got his attention. I
mean, the chancellor was involved in a big way and in my 14 years of interacting
with colleges, that's the first chancellor I've ever spoken to. It's not a
common thing. That was impressive to me. The chancellor is taking time out of
his schedule to spend time with us. He always seemed to be in the loop when it
came to recruiting and I know in the end that was something else that was just
added to the list of positives for Texas Tech.
"If you have the chancellor in your corner and he seems to have taken a sincere
interest in you, then you have the fans that we know were following this whole
thing really closely, what else could you ask for? How much more support would
you need? Delvon was aware of all the fanfare from the Red Raider fanbase and I
just think he felt overwhelmed with support from everyone that had to do with
Texas Tech. In the end that gave him an opportunity to feel as comfortable as
possible."
- Cowan
?
Q&A: Simmons Speaks
We believe these are Delvon Simmons' first public comments since making his
decision yesterday.
How does it feel to now have the process come to an end?
DS: "I don't feel much different, really. I guess there is a
little stress gone, but I still have to get it done on the field so all of the
work is still ahead of me."
What was it that stood out about Texas Tech?
DS: "The people there were really what caught my attention. The
coaches I got to know and the people with the university all seemed like great
people. They're the type of people I want to be around and learn under for the
next few years."
Was this second round of recruitment different than the first?
DS: "It really wasn't as bad as it was the first time around. I
had already seen and learned a lot about the schools that I felt like I would
consider and so it was actually a little easier to make my decision this time. I
had also learned some from the way things went the first time, so I think I was
even a little better prepared for it now."
How do you feel about having the opportunity to play with your teammate
Branden Jackson?
DS: "I'm pretty happy about that. Heading across the country to
play would be a tough experience, but it will be a little easier knowing some
guys there already. We're good friends and I know we'll have fun playing
together. He never really pressured me to go any specific way, but the way he
talked about Texas Tech definitely made me think about them a little harder.
Hopefully we can help win a lot of games for Texas Tech."
When are you planning on arriving in Lubbock?
DS: "I won't be there until after the Big 33 Game on June 18th.
It's an all-star game between Pennsylvania and Ohio that's played every year.
It's a pretty big deal up here so I'm going to play in it before I head to
Texas."
What finally put Texas Tech over the top as your choice?
DS: "I talked about it a lot with my family and coaches and it
just seemed like the best fit for me. I know I'll get a chance to play in the
NFL there and Coach Tuberville is known for what he does on defense. The
relationship that we built with the people in Lubbock is something that I
couldn't get away from. They're guys that will be straight with me and look out
for me as more than just a football player. I'm happy with my decision and I'm
looking forward to being at Texas Tech."
- Cowan
? ?
Jackson Reacts To Simmons News
To say that Tech signee Branden Jackson is excited about
teammate Delvon Simmons' decision would be a very big understatement.
"I really do not know how to put it into words," he said. "I am just really
excited to go to school with someone that I have actually played football with
and have known all my life. I don't know how else to say it but it is a really
good feeling.
"It may be scary to the other team (for Jackson and Simmons to play together),
but it is going to be fun and very comfortable for us."
While Jackson was obviously pulling for the Red Raiders throughout this process,
he was very respectful of his teammate's space.
"During the whole process," Jackson explained, "me and Dev talked about football
and playing at the next level, but after all that he has been through with
committing and decommitting, it seems that everyone just wanted to know where he
is going and what he was going to do. So I never really talked to him about what
school to go to. As much as it killed me, and as much as I really wanted him to
go to Tech, it just seemed like I would be pushing him when this needed to be
his decision.
"I told him I didn't want to push him like everyone else was. We have just
talked and if Tech came up, then it came up. We just kept up with our friendship
and tried to have fun during this difficult time. But I would be lying to you if
I said that this didn't turn out the way I wanted it to."
- Hair
?
Morales Talks Simmons
Branden Jackson isn't the only Tech signee to have been around Simmons in a team
setting. Arlington (Texas) Sam Houston offensive lineman Tony Morales
went up against Simmons some in January's U.S. Army All-American Bowl and has
since kept in touch with him.
"I am excited," Morales said. "He is a really good player and I look forward to
going one-on-one with him. I think he will make me a much better player. I have
been texting him back and forth for weeks now. I have been building a
relationship with him and now it has paid off. I am extremely excited to be his
teammate."
- Hair
?
Neal Is Tight With Simmons
McKeesport (Pa.) outside linebacker T.J. Neal has continued to
see his recruitment heat up over the past few weeks. After adding an offer from
Texas Tech early on, the Red Raiders have now been joined by a host of other top
programs from around the country.
"He's really blowing up right now. He's gotten offers from Pitt, West Virginia,
Syracuse, Rutgers, NC State, Texas Tech, USC, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida. A
couple of those are pending a meeting," according to his head coach Jim Ward.
"He's receiving quite a bit of interest. Florida called today and they seemed to
be really impressed with him based just off of video they found on Rivals. So,
he's getting out there a little bit now and the attention has come as we
expected it would."
The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder has yet to schedule anything for the summer. He and
Coach Ward are going to begin narrowing down his list as May gets closer.
"We've started to talk some about that. I think we're just taking some time
right now to sort out what schools he might be interested in taking a trip to
see," Ward said. "I don't know that I expect him to commit anytime soon, or even
this summer. Hopefully he won't take as long as Branden and Delvon, but I think
he'll take his visits and really explore his options.
"With Branden and Delvon down at Texas Tech I know that he'll want to give them
a really hard look. I would expect that he would probably take an official to
visit Tech, barring something unforeseen."
Neal has a close relationship with his former teammate, and the newest Tech
commit, Delvon Simmons.
"His relationship is strong with both of those guys. He's probably a little
closer with Delvon than he is Branden, but not for any specific reason. He's
just kind of gravitated that way," Ward said. "He usually eats lunch with Delvon
and their group quite a bit. I know that T.J. earned the respect of those
seniors on our team last year with his play on the field. He was a great player
for us and he carries himself in the right way.
"I know that he's talked a lot with Delvon about the recruiting process and what
to expect. He's already been in my office to talk about it several times as
well. He's taking it in stride right now and we're just kind of waiting to see
how it plays out through the month of May. We'll sit down then and figure out
what he wants to do."
- Cowan
?
Matt Davis: 'Everybody Is In The Race.'
With spring football quickly approaching, Houston (Texas) Klein Forest
quarterback Matt Davis has been spending more time preparing for practice than
focusing on the recruiting process.
"I really have not been talking to that many coaches recently on the phone, I
have been working out with the team and have been doing track right now so I am
just worrying about that," he said. "I am just kind of laying low in the whole
recruiting scene right now and I am just worrying about high school and myself.
I was at A&M last Sunday and Oklahoma the Sunday before that so I have spoke to
those coaches but besides that I have not had much contact with coaches except
for the few that message me on Facebook."
Davis plans to make his decision next month. He has not visited Tech this
spring, and it seems unlikely that he will be able to make it up to Lubbock
before his self-imposed deadline. Still, Davis the Red Raiders was one of four
schools he specifically named when asked if he had narrowed things down.
"I really am looking at everyone, SEC, Big 12 and everything in-between," he
said. "I am just looking at each school and seeing if the positives outweigh the
negatives and if it is a place I can see myself being for the next three to five
years of my life. But, yeah, there is Auburn, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Tech and so
much more it is impossible to narrow it down. "
- Hair
?
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This post was edited on 4/19 10:44 AM by A. Dickens
