Florida ATH Simeon Price resets his recruitment
PENSACOLA, Fla. — From July 1 to November 24, West Florida Tech athlete Simeon Price was committed to South Carolina. After the dismissal of Will Muschamp, Price backed off his pledge to the Gamecocks.
Not too long ago he thought he would be inking with South Carolina next week, but now, he has to reset his recruitment.
"After I decommitted, a lot of schools offered me at different positions, so I am still figuring things out," said Price. "My new top five is Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
"I am now planning to sign in February, so I have some time to figure things out. The relationships will be key for me, but I am going to take the time I need. I am going to sign in February, but I will probably commit sometime before then."
It has been three-plus weeks since Price re-opened his recruitment and he has been very busy.
"It has been pretty hectic since I decommitted to be honest. I have stayed in contact with South Carolina, but coaches do not know if they will be there or not. Mississippi State has been with me from the beginning, so we have continued to talk a lot. Boston College came in with an offer. I have stayed in touch with a lot of schools, so it has been pretty crazy."
He has done some Face-time calls with different schools, has had taken part in a few virtual tours, and he has gotten to know a lot of coaches through this process, but he still doesn't know the position he wants to play on the next level.
That is likely to factor into his decision.
"Oklahoma likes me at cornerback, Tennessee likes me at safety, Mississippi State likes me as a wide receiver, and South Carolina and Ole Miss like me more as an athlete, so not only am I now trying to find the right school for me, but I am trying to figure out what position I feel is best for me to play too.
"The conference could play into where I feel best at too. Some are more air-raid offenses, some are a little more defensive, and the coaches are explaining how they would use me, so that is important.
"A big key to my decision is where the coach sees me playing and fitting into their team. I want to figure out where I feel I am best at, then see how that matches up with the schools that I am considering."
South Carolina has now hired Shane Beamer as its next head coach, and he is still putting together his staff, so there are still a lot of moving parts, but the interest is still there.
"I am open to meeting the new staff, talking with them, and I am definitely still considering them. I chose South Carolina not just because the coaches, but it is a beautiful campus, I liked the city, and it is a school I am still looking at."
How Beamer, his new staff in Columbia and all the coaches involved in this recruiting race will be extremely important moving forward. The upcoming calls and conversations will lead to who he signs with in less than two months.
"The conversations and face-time calls will be at the top of my list moving forward," said Price. "I cannot step foot on campus for visits, so the calls and relationships are very important. Getting face-to-face connections are so important, not only do you hear the voIce over the phone, but you can see just how much a coach wants you. It will be a big factor moving forward.
"I can say that connection and communication is key for me at this point. Not much else I can do without the visits. How much I communicate with coaches will be a big part when I make my final decision."