Letter of intent No. 17: Wide receiver Freddie Simmons
Wide Receiver
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Bethlehem (Pa.) Catholic High
6-foot-3, 176 pounds
Measurables:
• At a Nike combine ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.41 seconds, registered a 32.9-inch vertical leap and had a 33.0-foot power throw.
Stats:
• Senior: Caught 49 passes for 707 yards and 13 touchdowns, ran six times for 131 yards and a score, and returned three punts for TDs.
• Junior: Had 38 receptions for 704 yards and 10 touchdowns and returned a kick for a score.
Ratings:
• Rivals.com: Three stars, No. 98 wide receiver in the country, No. 17 in the state.
• Scout.com: Three stars, No. 130 wide receiver in the country, No. 25 in the state.
• 247Sports: Three stars, No. 106 wide receiver in the country, No. 18 in the state.
• ESPN: Three stars, No. 153 wide receiver in the country, No. 30 in the state.
• National Underclassmen: No. 21 in the state.
Honors/accomplishments:
• Selected Class AAA All-State by the Pennsylvania Football Writers as a senior.
• Picked to the Lehigh Valley All-Area team in 2014.
• Named all-conference for two straight years.
• Set school records as a senior for most catches and receiving touchdowns in a season.
• Three-sport star who has over 1,000 career points in basketball and finished second in the state finals of the 300-meter hurdles last season at 37.82 seconds.
Recruitment:
• Originally made a verbal commitment to Rutgers over offers from Virginia and Wake Forest in October.
• Decommitted a month later and took official visits to Central Florida (Jan. 16) and NC State (Jan. 18).
• Verbally committed to the Pack Jan. 20.
Recruiter of record:
• Wide receivers coach George McDonald
Quotable:
"He's certainly a very gifted kid. He has the ability to run, jump, he has great ball skills. He's an elusive kid with explosiveness. So from a pure football standpoint, he's a very talented young man." - Bethlehem Catholic head coach Joe Henrich to NJ Advance Media.
Scouting report:
• On film shows soft hands with the ability to catch the ball away from his body and win jump balls in the red zone.
• Has a smooth, long stride, good speed and surprising elusiveness in the open field.
• Needs to get stronger and consistently maintain his focus.
2015 projection:
The unexpected premature departure of receivers Bo Hines and Marquez Valdes-Scantling has left an opening for an incoming wideout to play earlier than expected. Simmons in particular could have an advantage because his 6-foot-3 height fills a need the other smaller receiver recruits cannot fill. Simmons, though, will need to get stronger to handle ACC-level defensive backs.