Where Colin Simmons ranks among Texas’ highest ranked recruits
On Thursday, Texas landed one of the most important recruits of Steve Sarkisian’s tenure as the head coach of the Longhorns.
The Longhorns were able to outlast LSU and Miami for the services of five-star EDGE Colin Simmons out of Duncanville, Texas. The No. 1 overall recruit in the state according to the 247Sports composite rankings, Simmons is expected to be a cornerstone player for Texas as they embark on a journey to the SEC following the conclusion of this season.
The pass rusher comes in as one of the highest ranked recruits in program history. Let’s take a look to see where he stacks up with names like Vince Young, Sergio Kindle, and Johnathan Gray.
Vince Young (QB)
National Ranking: 1
Rating: 1.0000
To no one’s surprise, Young is one of the highest ranked recruits in history. He was an elite athlete at the quarterback position, and lived up to the hype in Austin leading Texas to their last national championship.
Arch Manning (QB)
National Ranking: 1
Rating: 0.9995
The biggest get of Texas’ 2023 class, Arch Manning comes in as the second ranked player in program history trailing only fellow quarterback Vince Young. He is currently battling for the backup role behind Quinn Ewers.
Sergio Kindle (LB)
National Ranking: 4
Rating: 0.9981
A hard hitting linebacker that was a key player for Texas during their run from 2006-10 that later went on to be drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft.
Jackson Jeffcoat (LB)
National Ranking: 7
Rating: 0.9976
The recruit that Simmons is actually now drawing comparisons to, Jeffcoat was an All-American at Texas while also being named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He has since gone on to have quite the CFL career winning a couple championships.
B.J. Johnson (WR)
National Ranking: 7
Rating: 0.9976
After a fairly successful career at Texas that saw him record over 2,000 yards and be named to three All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions, injuries derailed his professional career.
Johnathan Gray (RB)
National Ranking: 9
Rating: 0.9973
Gray put up video game numbers as a recruit, racking up over 200 touchdowns throughout his high school career. He didn’t quite have the impact that many expected for him at Texas, recording just 2,600 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns across four seasons.
Rodrique Wright (DL)
National Ranking: 6
Rating: 0.9970
Wright came to Texas and dominated the trenches, while being named an All-American, first-team All-Big 12, and even Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Colin Simmons (EDGE)
National Ranking: 8
Rating: 0.9962
The biggest victory of the Steve Sarkisian era, Colin Simmons has a chance to be an instant impact for the Longhorns. He has been described as having “nuclear playmaking ability” and is someone that the Longhorns hope will help them adjust to the SEC.
