John Simon committed to Rutgers football on Thursday, making it two big commitments in Florida for the Scarlet Knights this week.
A three-star recruit out of Raines High School (Jacksonville, Fla.), Simon poses a real threat for Rutgers on the interior of the defensive line. He chose the Big Ten program out of eight offers.
Other teams on Simon's list were Texas, Tennessee, USC, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville State. North Carolina and Colorado.
Simon took an unofficial visit to Rutgers and was scheduled to call head coach Greg Schiano after leaving campus.
“So actually, after I went on the visit with Rutgers, I was just like, 'Oh, I have to go there.' It felt like home,” Simon told Rutgers Wire. .
“So I thought, 'Why don't we just shut down?'” So I called Coach Schiano and asked if I could join him on a visit to another school. . He told me how he felt about it. That was it. After that, it was just a done deal. ”
Simon is fully committed and told Rutgers Wire: 100 percent. “
“I'm standing on all 10 toes. I really like what Coach Schiano is building there with the coaches and players he's brought in and just the knowledge of the game,” Simon said.
“Just the atmosphere… there were a lot of things that drew me in this direction. So the academics first and foremost. The academic programs are great, not just in the Northeast, but nationally. The player-coach relationships – I I love the way the coaches interact with the players. Their weight room program is amazing. His knowledge of the game is unlike any other. He is someone you can trust.”
The team's culture was also something that impressed Simon during his visit.
Entering his fifth season at Rutgers, Schiano has rebuilt Rutgers on and off the field. This includes bringing back CHOP's mantra and his FAMILY.
“And that motto is, 'Forget me, I love you,' and that's what the whole team lives by, because if we stay locked up, we're going to get somewhere,” Simon said. Told.
“So I love that motto and what Coach Schiano is bringing to the program.”
