Rivals250 OT Darrell Simpson makes B-Day commitment to OU

Despite his larger-than-life stature, Darrell Simpson could be described as a pretty low-key guy.

So it’s no surprise that he made his much anticipated commitment to Oklahoma on Saturday - his birthday - without much pomp or circumstance. Even on such a momentous day, he said he simply just took the day to hang out with his mother and father.

“I chose Oklahoma knowing that it’s always just a family atmosphere,” he said. “Knowing the background of the school and about the education it has… you have people there to push you and support you, it’s like you have family there already.”

The Rivals250 prospect visited Oklahoma and TCU at the end of July to get one last look at things before making his decision. He said that after talking to the coaches and other recruits at the Sooners recent recruit barbecue, it made too much sense for him to stick with his gut feeling.

“I just think about that since my freshman year I’ve always been in contact with OU,” he said. “I remember the first spring game that I went to, just watching all their games and just knowing Coach (Bill) Bedenbaugh for a long time. It’s just a good thing to know people that you’re comfortable with on the coaching staff.”

Although TCU was a closer option for him and his family, the Horned Frogs just didn’t quite make that connection on a personal level with Simpson like the Sooners staff had. All the time that both Bedenbaugh and head coach Lincoln Riley put in up-front with Simpson really paid dividends.

Simpson is the highest-ranked offensive tackle in Texas and provides a massive body that could play on either side of the line. He plays left tackle for Justin-Northwest, and is often just too large of an obstacle for defensive ends to try and get around. Given the success that Oklahoma has had with players like Orlando Brown that fit that same mold, making Simpson a priority was a must for the Sooners.

“The coaches have been coming out to my school for a long time,” he said. “When Coach Riley was just the offensive coordinator he would come out, just talk, Coach Bedenbaugh would come to practices and everything, so I knew that they really wanted me.

“I think Coach Lincoln is a level-headed man and it’s been easy to talk to him knowing that he’s just going to respect every decision that you make.”

Even though the Frogs seems to have a full stable of offensive linemen committed so far in 2018, Simpson left little room for speculation on the future. He said that he doesn’t plan on taking an official to TCU - or anywhere else - this fall.

“It was tough to call on that decision,” he said. “I just had to do what was best for me and think about other stuff in the situation … but I think that I am going to lock things up with Oklahoma.”

With his recruitment now in the books, he’s already moved on to his senior year, where he hopes to pave the way for Northwest to advance past the regional quarterfinal finish from last fall.

“It’s good to get it over with,” he said. “Now I just need to get focused and ready for my season. I just need to get ready for that college level and prepared for everything else.”