After deciding that he had received exactly the right amount of undeserved attention, Don Bosco (NJ) quarterback Matt Simms recommitted to the University of Louisville on Monday.
Simms, the son of Louisville native and Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, originally committed to the Cardinals over the summer, but told a New Jersey newspaper on Jan. 8 that he was "not going to Louisville" after Bobby Petrino bolted to Atlanta.
New U of L head coach Steve Kragthorpe showed his commitment to young Simms when he issued a statement on Jan. 18 saying the program was "not interested" in Mitch Mustain, the top overall prospect in the class of 2005 who initially had Louisville on his short list of possible transfer schools.
Eleven days later, Kragthorpe got his guy.
"I talked to both [Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe and assistant coach Jeff Brohm], they called me right after school," Simms said. "It was perfect timing because I really thought all day about my decision. When I answered the phone, they said, 'Are you coming to Louisville?' And I said, 'Yes, Sir, I am.'
"I just have a real good feeling about it and I do feel a lot better about it right now than I did a few weeks ago."
As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Simms threw for just under 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. He completed 65 percent of his passes and led his team to the state title. After the game, however, Simms nearly started a riot when he went over to the opposition's student section and taunted the crowd. Earlier in the season, ESPNU cameras caught Simms flipping the bird to the visiting crowd in the middle of a nationally televised game against St. Joseph High School.
Simms, the 147th ranked quarterback in the country by ESPN, was also considering NC State and Michigan State, even though both of those programs are also in the process of welcoming in a new head coach.
Kragthorpe has said repeatedly in the last few weeks that he is going to put the 11 best players on the field. He'll get to prove whether or not he's a man of his word in two or three years if Simmsy isn't hacking it and there's still pressure to play him because of his last name.
So. Hey. Matt. Uhh. Welcome to...uhh....welcome to the fa..mi..ly.
And now finally, list of players I would love to see Simms room with on the road next year:
Brock Bolen
Willie Williams
Peanut Whitehead
Breno Giacomini
Lamar Myles
When Adrian Grady lays your ass out for the first time next
year, it's going to be the greatest thing that ever happened to you