Miami Offers South Florida QB and Flame Thrower Austin Simmons
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Head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes extended a scholarship offer to Austin Simmons from Pahokee (Fla.) High School today. He’s one of the rare arm talents that can be found, despite being a player with two more years of high school and being in the class of 2025.
I’m blessed to receive an offer from my hometown school, The University of Miami! #GoCanes 🟠🟢 @coach_cristobal @CoachPop_Cooney @CanesFootball @247_canes @GabyUrrutia247 @TheCribSouthFLA pic.twitter.com/tNO4mWze65
— Austin Simmons (@austnsimmons) January 11, 2023
The 6-foot-3 and 195-pound signal caller showed the ability to move the pocket and make throws outside the tackle box. He’s done much of his best work from a traditional standpoint, however.
Scanning the field and delivering strikes has been Simmons’ best attribute to date. During 12 games from the 2022 season, Simmons went 163 of 242, for a 67.4% completion percentage, 3,161 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The most impressive statistic stemmed from his 19.4 yards per completion average. Make no mistake, Simmons launched a few bombs for Pahokee last season.
All of his talent from the gridiron and the baseball diamond has brought schools from across the country to recruit this young man from “Muck City” on the edge of Lake Okeechobee. Here are a few of the offers that Simmons already received in addition to Miami:
Where’s home? 🤷🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/8V0wla2IPn
— Austin Simmons (@austnsimmons) December 19, 2022
If the Hurricanes were to land Simmons, it would be the first time in a while that the Canes signed a South Florida prep quarterback.
Many of Miami’s best quarterbacks have come from out of state like Jim Kelly (Pennsylvania), Vinnie Testaverde (New York), and Gino Torretta (California) to name a few over the past 40-plus years. There have been some good Miami quarterbacks that played prep football in South Florida as well. Here’s a recap of some of the best Miami quarterbacks that came from the fertile South Florida prep football programs.
Craig Erickson came from Boynton Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman before going on to play for Miami. Erickson was at The U from 1987-1990 and went on to an eight-year NFL career.
From famed Miami (Fla.) Northwestern, Jacory Harris came to The U in 2008 and was successful for four years. He threw 8,826 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 48 interceptions during his time in Coral Gables. Harris had a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles (2012) before playing in the Canadian Football League (2013-2017).
In 2010, the Canes signed Stephen Morris from Miami Gardens (Fla.) Monsignor Pace. He went on to throw for over 3,000 yards twice – in 2012 and 2013 – and also played on three active NFL rosters with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2014), Philadelphia Eagles (2015), and Indianapolis Colts (2016). Morris also played with four different NFL practice squads during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Since Morris, Miami has not signed a single South Florida quarterback. Perhaps Simmons will one day change that trend.
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