BREAKING: Simon Says Notre Dame
St. Peter’s Prep has been pretty good to Notre Dame in recent years and that relationship got even stronger today as Shayne Simon gave the Irish his verbal commitment.
Notre Dame starting quarterback Brandon Wimbush hails from the perennial New Jersey powerhouse in Jersey City as do 2018 Irish defensive line commits Jayson and Justin Ademilola.
Simon became the latest Marauder to join the bunch, choosing Notre Dame over offers from schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, Stanford, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Duke and North Carolina among several others.
He is the 14th verbal commitment in the Irish’s 2018 recruiting class. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder gives Notre Dame a premium prospect to man the Rover position in defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s scheme.
“That hybrid outside ‘backer/strong safety,” St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen said of the Irish’s plans for Simon. “It’s very similar to what we do now with him, so there’s obviously a comfort level there. I think it’s really something that best fits his athleticism, his physical stature and his ability.
“He can cover backs out of the backfield, he can cover tight ends, line up on some slots and wides, so I think he can create some flexibility there.”
He joins the Ademilolas, defensive tackle Ja’mion Franklin, linebackers Ovie Oghoufo and Bo Bauer and defensive back Derrik Allen to give the Irish seven commits on the defensive side of the ball.
“They have this new defense and this is their first time recruiting this new position they have at Notre Dame and that I’m their guy,” Simon said following his visit for Irish Invasion last month.
Aside from his supreme physical skills, Simon is the owner of extreme leadership qualities.
“He’s one of the hardest working kids you’ll ever have,” said Hansen. “He’s unbelievable, he really is. He’s just a great leader, great student, great person. He does all of the right things and he’s just going to get better and better.
“You’ve got a lot of boxes to check when you talk about him.”
Simon is the second 2018 commit this week for Notre Dame as three-star running back Jahmir Smith committed on Sunday.
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