Jyon Simon committed to Rutgers football on Thursday, making it two big Florida commitments for the Scarlet Knights this week.
A three-star recruit, from Raines High School (Jacksonville, Florida), Simon gives Rutgers a true threat in the interior of the defensive line. He picked the Big Ten program over eight offers.
The other teams in the mix for Simon were Texas, Tennessee, USC (University of Southern California), Pittsburgh, Jacksonville State. NC State and Colorado.
Simon took an unofficial visit to Rutgers, which led to a phone call to head coach Greg Schiano after he left campus.
“So actually after I went on my visit with Rutgers, it was just ‘Man, I got to be there.’ I just felt at home,” Simon told Rutgers Wire.
“So I was like, ‘Why not shut it down?’ So I called coach Schiano and asked him if I could commit but still go on visits to other schools. He told me how he felt about it. So that was it – it was just a done deal after that.”
Simon is committed fully, telling Rutgers Wire “Yes, sir. 100 percent.”
“With all 10 of my toes, I’m standing on them. I really like what coach Schiano is building over there with the coaches that he’s brought in, with the players that he’s brought in and just his knowledge of the game,” Simon said.
“Just the atmosphere…it was a lot of things that pulled me towards this. So first and foremost, the academics. The academic program is amazing – not only in the northeast but in the nation. The player and coaches’ relationship – I love how the coaches interact with their players. They teach the game fundamentally. Their weight room program is amazing. Coach Schiano is different from the rest of the head coaches – his knowledge of the game is amazing and that’s somebody I can trust.”
The team culture is another thing that stuck out to Simon on the visit.
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Heading into his fifth season at Rutgers, Schiano has re-built Rutgers on and off the field. This includes bringing back the CHOP mantra as well as F.A.M.I.L.Y.
“And that motto: Forget About Me, I Love You – just because if everybody on the team does that and they stay locked in, well then we’re going places,” Simon said.
“So I just love that motto and what coach Schiano is brining to the program.”