Rivals250 LB Shayne Simon gives the latest on his recruitment
Rivals250 linebacker Shayne Simon isn't a big fan of the recruiting process and that's one of the reasons he is trying to get the process over with before his first game of the season. Stanford, Penn State, Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan are the big schools for Simon but there is still a lot for him to figure out before he commits.
IN HIS OWN WORDS…
"My visit to Michigan was good," Simon said. "I got to spend some time with the players. I didn't get to do that before so that was good. I was with Rashan (Gary) and Mike (Dwumfour). The players sense a new culture there with coach Brown. He's building a championship defense and they all want to be a part of it. It's a really tight group and they all grew together when they went to Italy. At the end of the day I want to play but I'll have to go in and compete whenever I go. At the end of the day I want to play. I have to come in and compete but it's like that anywhere. If I'm the number one player on the depth chart then I'll play. I trust the coaches.
"Notre Dame was a good visit," he said. "I enjoyed my time there being with coaches and players. I sense a new culture there. The players talk about how there's a whole new vibe with the new lifting coach and defensive coaches. Everybody is ready to go and everybody's pumped.
"I can come in at Ohio State and compete," said Simon. "They're all about competition and if I'm the right guy and outplay. I'm taking them into serious consideration. It's a great school and I find myself really fitting into what they do. My head coach is very close with coach Schiano and coach Meyer and they're very similar.
"I have everything put together for Stanford admissions," he said. "I just need to send it in. I visited there during my spring break. It was good to be there. I've never been there before. I'd only heard about it. It was good to see it for myself. When you go to the school the football team doesn't really stand out but if you look inside the program you see they work really hard.
"UCLA really likes my speed," Simon said. "They're trying to build a championship defense. They had a really good recruiting class last year and hopefully in the future they'll be able to get better and better.
"I'll hopefully be at Penn State for the Lasch Bash but we'll see," he said. "They showed out last year and they're going to continue to show out. The New Jersey to Penn State pipeline is real. They have a lot of kids there and they all get along well. Coach Franklin is a great guy and I've known coach EJ Barthel for a while. I love the culture, their vibe and their energy.
"Nebraska it's definitely different," said Simons. "I've heard a lot of good things about them. My coach has spoken highly about them. I have not visited there yet but I'm going to try to get there.
"I don't have any visits planned but we're trying to work out some things," he said. "We might try to finish the process before the season starts. Finishing the process before the season starts is the goal. I'll narrow things down some time over the next couple weeks."
RIVALS' REACTION
Simon isn't giving anything away right now but it seems Michigan, Notre Dame, and Penn State are at the core of his recruitment. Penn State might have a bit of momentum but Notre Dame has a constant recruiting presence with Simon because of the Ademilola twins who have been committed to the Fighting Irish for over a year. Michigan is doing a good job with Simon as well and it will be important for the Wolverines to get him back on campus again.
