UGA has “a great shot” with the No. 1 player in Mississippi
We won’t see the results for a while, but UGA assistant coach Rob Sale could have already laid the foundation for quite the recruiting feat.
Sale saw Jeffery Simmons, a 4-star Mississippi defensive end, in person on Sept. 11. Simmons is the No. 1 prospect in Mississippi and is rated as the nation’s No. 3 strong-side defensive end.
UGA offered him earlier today. Simmons told the AJC’s DawgNation.com he was intrigued by that. To say the least.
“Georgia will have a great shot with me,” Simmons said. “I have no favorites and I am still open to anybody. I am going to talk to my coach and I might even go ahead and set up one of my official visits to go there.”
Simmons said Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State “are on him” but it won’t keep him from looking at another quality school.
“Even though Georgia has just come along, I’m going to give them their chance,” Simmons said. “I just want to get out to Georgia and see that atmosphere and visit and see what they have to offer depth chart and all. I want to take that chance to see if Georgia is the right place for me.”
Simmons was asked to clarify what he meant when he said he “might go ahead and set up” an official visit. That’s sounds pretty vanilla, but he expanded on that thought.
“UGA will most likely get an official visit,” Simmons said.
Simmons said he has yet to set up any official visits, but did feel Ole Miss was recruiting him the hardest. He said he’s close enough with Ole Miss football support staff member Barney Farrar that he labels their relationship as the best connection he currently has with a recruiter.
Simmons also couldn’t say that he was ready to set up another official visit with any other school at this point.
This just doesn’t happen that often for the No. 38 player in the country. UGA has gone from no offer to likely getting an official visit almost immediately at the midpoint of an elite prospect’s senior season. That all started when Sale visited the school two weeks ago and saw that game.
“Coach Sale got after me from that point on and said that Georgia wanted to offer me,” Simmons said.
The senior had five sacks in his season-opening game and has 10 sacks so far this year. He says he’s bulked up to 275 pounds as a senior but has still retained the quickness that saw him clock a 4.7 time in the 40-yard dash.
He also said he carries a 3.7 grade-point average and scored a 20 on his ACT.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges.
