Decision Day: Colin Simmons, Caden Durham To Reveal Commitments
It's Decision Day for five-star EDGE Colin Simmons and four-star running back Caden Durham as the Duncanville Duo prepares to reveal their college commitments.
For Simmons, he'll choose between LSU, Texas and Miami while Durham will select from LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
The high school teammates took a trip to Baton Rouge in late July before revealing their commitment dates, and now as August 10 arrives, we'll know shortly where the two will take their talents.
Here's the latest on Simmons and Durham with a decision nearing:
The Colin Simmons Buzz:
LSU's Pursuit
Simmons is fresh off of a three-day stay in Baton Rouge where he was joined by high school teammate Caden Durham and several other top prospects down South.
LSU held its Bayou Splash recruiting event during the final weekend of July where Simmons arrived Friday morning and stayed the weekend. It quickly became a monster development within the program after Simmons decided to remain in Baton Rouge rather than go visit Texas or Texas A&M during the recruitment live period.
There was a seven-day window for prospects to meet face-to-face with programs and Simmons decided to stay in Baton Rouge for three of the seven days before heading back home to Texas.
Once Simmons departed, LSU was riding a high. The elite-level prospect then revealed a commitment date for August 10 and all signs pointed the Tigers' way, but now after the dust has settled, it remains a heavyweight battle against the Texas Longhorns.
Texas Trending
As experts within the industry continue logging their crystal balls, lowering/upping their confidence meters and more, the Texas Longhorns have made up ground and are quickly becoming the frontrunner to land the five-star EDGE.
247Sports recruiting analyst Mike Roach logged an expert prediction for the Longhorns to secure Simmons’ services, but it isn’t a consensus vote. Others within the recruiting scene still have the Tigers pulling this one out with a pair of crystal balls also going LSU’s way.
For now, it looks to be a 50/50 split between the Tigers and Longhorns, but now that the dust has settled after a trip to Baton Rouge, Texas has certainly thrown their fair share of punches to get back into this one.
The Decision
On Thursday at 2pm, a decision will be made and all of America will be tuned in to see where the program-changing prospect commits to, and LSU continues turning up the heat with a few hours until then.
No matter what decision Simmons makes, LSU, Texas and Miami will have to keep close tabs on the No. 1 EDGE in the country until Early Signing Day in December.
Right now, the buzz is that the Longhorns have some traction, but the Tigers won’t let up anytime soon heading into Thursday afternoon and so on.
The next 24 hours will be interesting to monitor as Simmons dials in on a commitment decision. A live stream of the decision will be made on 247Sports’ YouTube channel beginning at 1:45pm where Simmons will be accompanied by Caden Durham as he also makes his college commitment.
The Caden Durham Buzz:
LSU Trending
Running backs coach Frank Wilson took the lead on the recruitment of Durham and hasn’t let his foot off the gas. Over the course of the last few weeks, the Tigers took charge of his process and haven’t looked back.
Durham, who will be a two-sport athlete at the next level on both the gridiron and track, has been heavily pursued by both programs. Now, with a decision inching closer, the Tigers appear to be in a firm position here.
LSU isn’t recruiting another running back in the 2024 cycle. It’s Durham or bust for this unit given this program already holds eight backs on its current roster. The Tigers have bodies for the long haul, but to add a player of Durham’s caliber would be a monster commitment for Brian Kelly and Co.
Experts have logged their crystal balls for LSU and it’s all pointing the Tigers way as it currently stands. On3’s Shea Dixon and Billy Embody have upped their confidence levels for this program to pull it out as has 247Sports Sonny Shipp.
Now, with a decision hours away, it appears LSU is in the driver's seat for Durham, but anything can happen on the recruiting trail.
Oklahoma Buzz
The Sooners are also recruiting Durham as a two-sport athlete and this program has a critical piece of the four-star back’s camp in his corner. Durham’s mother was a member of Oklahoma’s track and field team during her college career, which certainly gives the Sooners some extra attention.
After Oklahoma took five-star running back Taylor Tatum, the top back in the country, in July, all attention quickly turned LSU’s way for Durham’s services.
Will the Sooners look to take two running backs this cycle? Does the addition of Tatum make Durham rule out the Sooners? We’ll have the answer in the next few hours.
The Decision
LSU got the last visit from Durham, and after a weekend in Baton Rouge, he decided to move his decision date up from August 25 to August 10.
Once the dust settled on his visit down South, the Tigers remained in the lead for his services, further giving LSU an advantage come Thursday afternoon.
Durham will reveal his commitment decision alongside five-star EDGE Colin Simmons as the two make their college announcements.
With both prized prospects including LSU in their final three schools, it’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out, but for now, the Tigers certainly appear to be in the lead for Durham’s services.
