It's the heat of football recruiting season, and slowly but surely the list of potential incoming freshmen at Lehigh next fall are trickling in. But it's actually a rumored potential transfer - and an unconfirmed one at that - that is proving to be the most interesting.You may have heard that the son of a Morehead State quarterback alumnus - more well known as Phil Simms, Super Bowl MVP for the New York Giants and current NFL commentator for CBS - is transferring.
That would be Louisville redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Simms, who attended the high school powerhouse Don Bosco in New Jersey and is escaping a logjam at quarterback with the Cardinals. Simms had a memorable time in Louisville for all the wrong reasons, starting his career with a four game suspension for "violating team rules" (click on the link to see what it is) and getting a lot of hate from the Louisville fan base after exactly one game in mop-up duty against Pittsburgh. This is in addition to flipping St Peter's fans the bird in the state championship game in New Jersey in 2006.
Some think that "bad-boy" Simms might be best served by going the junior college route, but one source on the Lehigh message board said the following:
Ok here's the story. Understand I know nobody, have no "sources" and read but am not a poster here. I am an LU grad and fan of the team. My dad works at Showtime and in talking to Phil he mentiontoned(sic) to him that should he consider 1AA he will have LU on that list.
Like the poster here, I have no inside information in regards to his (or his father's) interest in his coming to Lehigh to play quarterback. I also don't know if he's academically qualified to become a Mountain Hawk, nor do I know if Matt Simms is ready to "grow up" - since he'd undoubtedly need to do so in order to remain a student at Lehigh. I do know that sophomore QB J.B. Clark just finished a pretty good season this year, and Simms certainly wouldn't be given the starting quarterback position based on his last name alone - he has to work and beat a very good quarterback to become the starter. Conceivably, he wouldn't be the starter until Clark graduates, which (barring injuries) would be Simms' senior year.
But there seems to be just enough to this rumor - a Don Bosco star from New Jersey, a Louisville alumnus on the coaching staff that might just have an in with the Cardinals (linebackers coach Matt Sanders) - and a kid that may need a second chance at an FCS school - that it's worth repeating here.
Might we be seeing Matt Simms in the Brown & White? Stay tuned.
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On the recruiting front, the first Lehigh commit has hit the papers: and it's a product from the coal region that Schylkill Haven fans are raving about.
It's RB Zach Barket, who verbally committed to Lehigh just yesterday.If you read the article, most of the focus is on the fact that Barket was robbed of a spot on the coveted "Big 33" and PSFCA postseason teams, despite the career totals of the 5' 10, 205 lb running back bordering on the ridiculous.
Try 4,195 yards and 66 touchdowns. And that's not for a career. Thats in a single season.
He's a huge get for Lehigh, maybe as big as freshman RB Nate Eachus' signing at Colgate last year. Barket has an impressive statewide trophy case, including Gatorade’s Pennsylvania Player of the Year Award, the Old Spice Red Zone Pennsylvania Player of the Year, the AP Class A Co-Player of the Year, Pennsylvania Football News Mr. Football, Maxpreps Small School National Player of the Year and The Republican & Herald All-Area Offensive Player of the Year.
If that's not enough, how about watching a highlight video? Or two? Holy cow. (Note: you have to be a Scout.com subscriber to watch them.)
[UPDATE: For those that don't have a Scout.com subscription, here's one highlight reel that was recently posted on YouTube. Beast.]
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Other prospectives that have been linked to Lehigh:
QB/LB/P Matt Falcone (Palmerton HS, PA)
The skinny: This three-sport athlete has been accepted at Penn State - but not for football, where Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate are interested. Looks to fit best at linebacker, where he amassed 111 tackles for Palmerton last year.
WR/DB/P/K Wade Brogdon (Brookwood HS, GA)
The skinny: Another three-sport athlete with a 3.9 GPA, he was Gwinnett area defensive back of the year with 6 interceptions while also punting, kicking and playing wide receiver. Princeton, Carnegie Mellon and Lehigh are rumored to be interested.
RB/LB Brendan Pidgeon (Oneonta HS, NY)
The skinny: Once rumored to be on Syracuse's radar, this all-state runningback (and heavyweight wrestler) has been linked to Lehigh ina recent report.
DE/LB James Frazier (Elizabeth HS, NJ)
The skinny: Has listed Lehigh, Rhode Island and Penn State as schools he's interested in on his profile (which includes video). He's listed as "fairly raw" but could fit in as an outside linebacker in Lehigh's 3-4. He's also a basketball prospect.
TE/DE Cody Booth (Penn Manor HS, PA)
The skinny: Has listed Lehigh, Boston College, UMass, Villanova, and James Madison as schools he's interested in on his profile (which includes video). At 6'5 215 lb he seems to have established himself as a solid pass-catching threat. The report says he may need to bulk up in the weight room at the college level.
RB/DB Alan Elder (Gonzaga College HS, MD)
The skinny: Has listed Lehigh, James Madison, Illinois, Holy Cross, and Dayton as schools he's interested in on his profile (which includes video). At 5'11 175 he seems like a prototypical speed back at the Patriot League level with "good natural running ability". Report seems overly pessimistic about his college abilities.
TE Nick Cassetta (Lodi HS, NJ)
The skinny: All-Bergen County TE who caught 21 passes for 310 yards and 3 TDs as a senior. Lists Lehigh, Maryland, UConn, Syracuse, and Hofstra as potential destinations. At 6'4 255 lbs, he might end up as a good blocker, too.
S Kevin Sonnet (Dell HS, NJ)
The skinny: This defensive standout presided over the 12-0 Dell HS defense which held all their regular-season opponents to 28 total points on the year. As a junior, he has 70 tackles and was an enforcer - he would fit nicely with the aggressive "D" we have now. Lists Lehigh, Holy Cross, and Bucknell as his college choices.
More as I get them.
Comments
As for Barkett, that is great news. Sounds like they type of back we lost last year in Eachus to Colgate. A good quck runner with power to take McGowan's role. Hopefully, Walker is healing well and we have a few more coming to the stable. RBs take their toll with the collisions. Probably the one position you need the most depth.