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The Virginia football program earned a significant victory on the recruiting trail on Monday evening as three-star defensive lineman Tyler Simmons announced his commitment to UVA, choosing the Cavaliers over offers from nearly 30 other schools, including several Power Five programs. 

"I am happy to announce that I am now committed to the University of Virginia!" Simmons said in a Twitter post. 

A 6'4", 260-pound defensive lineman from Windermere, Florida, Simmons is ranked the No. 116 defensive lineman in the country by 247Sports and the No. 148 prospect from the high school recruiting hotbed that is the state of Florida. Simmons is a versatile athlete who is also an accomplished track & field performer, winning the district championship in the shot put in 2022. He runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, giving him the speed and athleticism required to line up in multiple positions on the defensive line.  After an impressive junior campaign at Windermere Prep, Simmons was voted First-Team All-District. 

That strong season resulted in a remarkable haul of offers this spring, including several Power Five programs. Virginia jumped in the mix with an offer on May 3rd and the Cavaliers ultimately won a heated recruiting battle for the commitment from Simmons, beating out South Carolina, Miami, NC State, Michigan State, Indiana, Northwestern, Stanford, Kansas, and several other schools. 

Watch his junior season highlights in the video below:

Simmons is the second defensive lineman to commit to UVA from the 2024 recruiting class, joining defensive end Chase Morrison from Roswell, Georgia. 

Tyler Simmons is the 12th recruit to verbally commit to the Virginia football recruiting class of 2024:

See updated profiles for every verbal commit in UVA's 2024 recruiting class here: Virginia Football 2024 Recruiting Class Updated Verbal Commits


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