The Texas Longhorns have been chasing some big names in the 2024 cycle, both in the state and nationally. Moments ago, the Longhorns landed the type of player that could change the course of UT’s recruiting efforts when 5-star defender Colin Simmons announced that he has committed to Texas.

Simmons, out of Duncanville, is the No. 5-ranked prospect nationally, he’s a player who holds the respect of his peers and he’s let it be known that he intends to be a recruiting ringleader for whichever program he chooses. It’s the Longhorns that will be reaping those rewards.

"Landing the No. 1 player in the state and a five-star prospect is important in itself but Simmons will also be a great recruiter for the Longhorns,” said Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney. “He's a friendly, affable kid who will resonate with a lot of undecided prospects in the region and maybe across the country. In the end, top prospects are going to do what's best for them but it certainly will not hurt to have those players hang around with Simmons on visits to Austin and to have him recruit them on social media. It's debatable if any of that will help but it absolutely cannot hurt."

The 6-3, 225-pound Simmons is being recruited by Texas as an edge player who can disrupt the offensive backfield, and he’s been one of the country’s most sought-after prospects over the course of his recruitment. Simmons took official visits to Texas, Miami, Alabama and SMU but just about every college program in the country had thrown its hat in the ring. Along with his official visits, Simmons had been busy on the unofficial visit circuit, with trips to places like Oregon, Texas A&M, Georgia and Oklahoma.

The LSU Tigers had been perceived as the biggest threat to land Simmons, and for the better part of the year were actually believed by most to be the favorite. But it was Texas that began to seize momentum this summer and after a late June official visit to Austin, signs began pointing towards Simmons landing in Austin.

The top-ranked prospect in the Lone Star State, Simmons is a dynamic talent that can immediately impact the Texas program once he steps foot on campus. Prior to that, he could have an immediate impact for the Longhorns in the recruiting realm. During his June official visits, Simmons and a number of other high-profile prospects hit it off, including fellow Rivals100 member Kobe Black, and Simmons has said on social media that he’ll be an active recruiter trying to sway prospects to join him at whatever school he wound up choosing.

As a junior, Simmons was named the Class 6A Player of the Year by the Texas Sportswriter Association, he helped lead Duncanville to an undefeated state championship and he set a school record by recording 22.5 sacks.

“Simply put, Simmons is a game-changing and wrecking talent. He has proven to have the ability to take over games on the biggest of stages, evidenced by his performance against North Shore in last season’s state title game,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Cole Patterson. “On tape, Simmons demonstrates quick burst off the line and impressive bend. He is natural at getting after the quarterback, backed up by more than 20 sacks as a junior against top competition in Texas. Simmons is a bonafide blue-chip talent at a marquee position and gives the Longhorns another elite building block on defense going into the SEC after landing Anthony Hill last cycle.”

Simmons becomes Texas’s 16th commitment in the 2024 recruiting class.