Colin Simmons commits to Texas: Longhorns beat LSU, Miami for nation's top edge rusher

Duncanville (Texas) star logged devastating 22.5 sacks, led nationally ranked Panthers to UIL 6A Division I state championship

Colin Simmons, the nation's No. 1 edge rusher and No. 5 overall 2024 prospect, committed to Texas over LSU and Miami.

He committed in a ceremony at Duncanville High School (Texas) alongside teammate Caden Durham, who committed to LSU. Simmons put on LSU and Miami hats before ultimately landing on a Texas hat while making the announcement.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Simmons is the No. 1 rated prospect in Texas and No. 5 nationally, according to On3.

>> SBLive’s 2022 All-North Texas High School Football Teams, Awards

He'd been trending toward the Longhorns earlier in his recruitment, but LSU picked up steam after he visited the Bayou Splash recruiting event in late July with Duncanville running back Caden Durham.

Going into Thursday, recruiting prognosticators were split going into Simmons' announcement. 247 Sports' predictors were split two apiece between LSU and Texas, while On3 and Rivals gave Texas a slight edge with Miami lurking as a potential dark horse.

Texas Longhorns freshman receiver and former DeSoto star Johntay Cook II tweeted "see you soon" in response to Simmons' pending announcement just after noon, around an hour before the live stream. 

At Duncanville, which finished the 2022 season ranked No. 7 in the nation in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25, Simmons was one of the most devastating defensive presences in the country on a team loaded with power five talent. 

SBLive's All-North Texas Defensive Player of the Year logged 79 tackles, 45 quarterback hurries, 33 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks across 15 games and led Duncanville to its first UIL Class 6A Division I state title since 1998 as a junior.

Watch a replay of the ceremony here: