(Photo by Bradley Leeb/Associated Press)
In the recruiting world nothing is certain until the athlete signs his or her letter of intent; that statement is the epitome of East St. Louis OL Tre’Vour Simms recruitment.
Less than a week after flipping from an Illinois commit to a Missouri commit, Simms on Saturday told Jeremy Werner of the IlliniInquirer.com that he changed his mind again and recommitted to the Illini.
Simms committed to Illinois in June, and he became one of the Illini’s better recruits. He stayed true to that commitment even after the school dismissed Tim Beckman a week before the season kicked off.
As soon as Barry Odom was hired at Missouri to be the head coach, he offered Simms a scholarship. Both teams went 5-7 this past season, but given the more recent success of the Tigers it was probably something he would heavily consider.
He visited Mizzou last weekend, and on the visit were former East St. Louis teammates and current Missouri commits Natereace Strong and Greg Taylor. The former Flyers were in his ear the whole trip and they eventually got Simms to flip to the Tigers.
He cited “unfinished business” as to why playing with former teammates was such a big reason to join the Tigers.
JP Rock on Twitter
New #Mizzou commit Tre’Vour Simms:@sWaGdADdAy1 says he “felt at home” on visit & has “unfinished business” to win championships w/ ESL guys
The only coaching reason I would cite as a potential reason for the flip would be the fact that Mizzou has yet to name an offensive line coach, and Illinois hired former Tiger (and former Illini) OL coach A.J. Ricker on Thursday.
However Ricker was not apart of the process for recruiting Simms at Missouri, as he was shown the door shortly after Odom was hired.
However I’m guessing that he just loves Illinois, and I don’t think that ever wavered even during his recruitment to Missouri. Maybe with his teammates with him he forgot about Illinois for a little bit, and committing to the Tigers could have been an impulse decision.
Like I said, nothing in recruiting is for certain until the letter has been signed on the dotted line. The coaches know this, and the players do too.
Guess what? The players have every right to do this. Keep in mind that he’s still a kid and this to date is the biggest decision he will make. This doesn’t just apply to Simms, but to everyone being recruited in high school. This is where you’re going to be for the next four to five years, make absolutely sure you’re going where you want to go.to
Take visits, talk to different coaches, talk to family and friends, and bottom line choose the school that fits best for you.
For Simms, that school is Illinois.
Mizzou will be okay, there are other uncommitted offensive linemen out there. For Illinois, good job on keeping a talented instate prospect and Bill Cubit ought to keep recruiting him until the day he actually signs.
