Talented 2027 S Kenneth Simon II Talks "Big" Notre Dame Offer
Notre Dame entered the race for one of the top 2027 defensive prospects in the South last week, when Irish assistant Max Bullough extended a scholarship offer to Tennessee safety Kenneth Simon II.
“Coach Bullough called me and we talked for a little bit and then he gave it to me at the end of the call,” the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder told Irish Sports Daily.
Simon’s offer sheet already included schools like Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Tech, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Arkansas and Nebraska among many others.
Still, the Notre Dame offer got his attention.
“It is a big offer,” he said. “I got a couple of other big ones, but this one really hit different. Knowing that I have different schools like Notre Dame that want me to come play for them, it boosts my confidence. If I can go play at Notre Dame, I can go play at a Georgia or an Ohio State. It was a good feeling to have knowing that I had schools like that to come get me.”
Bullough told Simon what he likes about him and also left a positive impression on Simon.
“He just said he likes the way I get to the ball,” Simon explained. “I'm a full sprint every single play. He told me he likes my physicality and the way I stop the run. He also likes how I can play out in space too and play in the box so I can do a bunch of different things.
“He was really cool. He was respectful when he called me. He was just cool. He gave off a good vibe. He was a cooler guy. He wasn't as much of an old head, which in this generation, that's what kids are looking for, someone that they can vibe with. Someone that almost feels more like a friend than a coach, someone they're comfortable around.”
Now that he has the offer, Simon is excited to dive in deeper on Notre Dame.
“Really just building a relationship and furthering my relationship with the coaches, meeting different coaches on the coaching staff and getting up to a game at some point,” he said. “If I go up there when it's not a game, maybe even asking a player how they like it. The players are the ones who know best about their experience up there, so being able to hear it from players or former players, that's going to help.”
Simon has already identified several schools he’d like to check out this fall.
“I'll definitely be at Tennessee a couple times,” said Simon, whose father, Kevin, starred at linebacker for the Vols in the early-2000s and was recently named Director of Player Development in Knoxville.
“I know I'm going down to Ole Miss, going to the Ole Miss-LSU game. Now that I've got Notre Dame. I've definitely got to make it up there. Georgia Tech, I really like Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, and then North Carolina, I'll make it up to a game up there too.”
Simon is looking for a coaching staff that will give him a chance.
“Really, just a coach who believes in me because belief is a big thing to me. If you believe in me and you believe what I can do, you'll put me out on the field so I can go show you what I can do. If you don't believe in me, you won't put me out there and I won't ever get a chance to show you what I can do. So a coach who believes in me, a coach who knows what he's talking about who is going to get me to the NFL.”
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