2026 DL Damari Simeon Ready for First Trip to Notre Dame
2026 St. Augustine Prep (N.J.) defensive tackle Damari Simeon had a big offseason and has started to see an uptick in his recruitment.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pounder double-digit offers and will look to add to his list this week as he’ll make the trip to Notre Dame for the Grill and Chill on Thursday.
“They have a great program, great tradition and the academic/football connection is second to none,” Simeon told ISD. “This will be my first time being in South Bend.”
It might be Simeon’s first visit to Notre Dame, but defensive line coach Al Washington has already built a strong relationship with the New Jersey native.
In fact, Simeon has been super impressed with Washington’s desire to help him get better, even if it’s over the phone.
“I’ve been in a lot of contact with Coach Washington,” explained Simeon. “He has a great personality and knows what he’s talking about. We can talk about ball for hours. We talk about defense and different techniques. It’s really cool.
“Normally, you don’t have access to people that know so much or have been around the game for that long. It’s really cool to talk to him and learn from him. I can ask him pretty much anything and he’ll give me an answer about it. He’s quizzed me while he’s teaching me, so I understand it all.”
The recruiting process is just starting for Simeon, but he’s already felt some added stresses of being a coveted prospect after having a couple strong camps over the summer.
“It’s been crazy this summer with recruiting,” Simeon said. “Sometimes, I get blown up by coaches, but it’s a good problem to have. It kind of came out of nowhere. I knew I was on the right path because my teammates and coaches had been putting me in the best position, but I didn't know it would take off like this.”
When it comes to his game, Simeon is a violent player, but is also light on his feet and then there’s that 32-inch vertical he recorded multiple times this offseason.
“I feel I’m a bully at defensive tackle, so run defense is my strength,” stated Simeon. “I like throwing people around. I’m getting better at pass rushing and reading blocks. I struggled with that a little bit last year. I was kind of behind everything, but my coaches have been on that with me.”
As for his visit to Notre Dame, Simeon hopes to get a feel for the entire coaching staff and take everything in.
“I would say meeting the staff,” Simeon said of what he wants to experience at Notre Dame. “I want to make sure I’m around the right people wherever I go. If you’re at work, you want to be around the right coworkers. I also want to see the campus. I haven’t seen that yet, so I definitely want to do that and see if that’s where I want to be at.”
Offers: Boston College, Buffalo, Duke, Liberty, UMass, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse, Temple and West Virginia
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