RB James Simon breaks down recent visit to Texas

The Texas Longhorns already have one running back commitment in the fold from Rickey Stewart, but UT running backs coach Tashard Choice is trying to add one more back to the commitment list. Last weekend, Texas hosted one of its top targets, James Simon, and Simon said it was a great experience overall.

The Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist Academy standout made his way to Austin on Saturday for the Orange-White game and while in town, got to spend a lot of time with Choice, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and general manager Brandon Harris.

“Just my talk with coach Choice and Sark, and the time I spent with Brandon Harris too,” Simon said about the highlight of the visit. “It was great with all three of them. Great people, great men, great coaches who are great at their job. It was a great experience in general.”

In meeting with Choice before and after the Longhorns’ spring game, it was stressed to Simon that he’d be a great fit in the Texas program and the Longhorn coaches would love to have him in Austin.

“He just showed the importance of him having me, just knowing that I’m somebody he really wants on his roster and in his room,” Simon said. “Just the potential he sees for me to build this program and be a great guy coming up here.”

With the Texas visit behind him, Simon said he’ll start focusing on potentially finding a school in May. A decision could come shortly after that but if he’s not ready, he’ll wait until after his official visits.

“This is my last spring visit. I’m going to chart everything, pros and cons. I’m going to try my best to see if I can wind it down, honestly, to where I want to go,” Simon said. “If I can, I’m going to make it happen. If I can’t, I’m going to figure out who the final schools are and I’m going to OV to those schools.”

Along with Texas, Simon said he’s primarily focused on Texas A&M, Alabama, Notre Dame and LSU. He currently has one official visit set up, to Texas on June 21.

“I would say (Texas is) one of my top schools, one of the schools that is definitely not out of the way, and definitely not a school that I would not commit to. It’s definitely a place that I see myself going to,” Simon said. “I just want to make sure if it is the place it’s the best fit for me.”

The 6-0, 200-pound Simon said once he commits, he’ll shut his recruitment down and visit only that school. As a junior last year, Simon rushed for 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. He added 20 receptions for 214 yards and three more scores. Simon is ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com.