Simmons hearing from Pac-10 teams

One of the top tight ends at the Palo Alto NIKE Camp was Mansel Simmons, an under-the-radar prospect from Sacramento (Calif.) Sheldon who is starting to hear from some Pac-10 schools.

Oregon State and Washington State have recently gotten interested in Simmons, a 6-foot-4, 217-pound prospect who's rated as the No. 28 tight end nationally by Rivals.com.

"It's been picking up a little bit, that camp definitely gave me a lot of exposure," Simmons said.

"Oregon State has been pretty interested and Washington State has been pretty interested. A couple other schools have come through as well. Both schools are saying they want me to take visits and things like that."

Because the Palo Alto NIKE Camp was such a success for Simmons, a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he is looking for other events this summer where he can get maximum exposure like the upcoming USC Rising Stars Camp.

Simmons' theory is that going to the bigger camps will get his name out even more and that is one reason why he's not all that interested in going to a bunch of one-day camps at specific schools. The more exposure the better, Simmons said, because that can turn into offers pretty quickly.

"I'm thinking about going to the Rising Stars Camp because I think if I go there and I ball out like I did at the Palo Alto Camp then everybody is going to know about me," Simmons said.

"I'm trying to go to camps where I could get a lot of exposure for everybody, not just go to camps that are individual camps."

Many things make Simmons an intriguing prospect. He's a basketball player who turned to football and already has good footwork and athleticism. He also has outstanding hands and catches most passes thrown his way plus he's incredibly productive, always finding his way to the front of the line, always wanting to take extra reps.

That's probably why Washington State and Oregon State have gotten more involved along with Fresno State and others. It's just starting to pick up for the Sacramento prospect.

"The Washington State coaches seem like they're really, really interested in me," Simmons said. "They want me to come up there and take a visit and to go to the camp this summer.

"Fresno State wants me to go up there but I couldn't go this weekend because I was really sick. I get calls from them all the time. Oregon State wants me to go up there, too, and take a visit and they want to talk to me and everything so it's looking good."