By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
It’s a standard scene, a high school sports standout sitting at a table with several ball caps in front, each with the logo of a different college he’s considering.
It’s less common to have that scene play out far away from home. Or on a hotel rooftop.
Highly-sought Calvary Baptist football running back James Simon announced his college choice Wednesday, putting on the Texas Longhorns cap and opening his Calvary letterjacket to reveal a burnt-orange Texas T-shirt.
His family was alongside him on the roof of the W hotel in Nashville, as he was the centerpiece of a segment produced as part of the On3 Elite Series recruiting showcase live-streamed everywhere – and avidly watched back home.
Simon made the Cavaliers’ campus watch party extra special. His decision didn’t come down to the last few days and Calvary coach Rodney Guin arranged the local gathering.
Simon supplied specialty T-shirts for a group of his Cavalier teammates and schoolmates, who were very much in on the secret. They pulled on shirts featuring artwork of Simon wearing a No. 31 Longhorns’ jersey below the school’s “Horns Up” rally cry.
The other finalists he considered: LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Notre Dame. The Longhorns sealed the deal weeks ago, he said, although he kept it quiet until Wednesday’s event.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian wasn’t sweating out the ceremony.
“I knew a good month or two ago,” Simon said. “Continually going down there, it always felt like home, and they just showed me consistent love and values, that I was a top priority for them and it was time to be a Longhorn.
“I let coach Sark know when I got back from (their) spring game,” he said. That was April 20.
Simon is a four-star recruit ranked as the state’s No. 5 overall prospect in the Class of 2025, No. 3 among Louisiana senior running backs, according to 247Sports analysts. He ran for 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns in the Cavaliers’ undefeated state championship season last fall, adding 848 receiving yards and nine more scores although he was not over-utilized in Calvary’s explosive attack.
The 6-foot, 200-pounder was named the Most Outstanding Player in Calvary’s comeback state finals win after scoring three touchdowns and running for 191 yards. He had a school record 326 rushing yards on 22 carries, scoring four TDs after halftime to spearhead a 49-28 quarterfinal victory over Parkview Baptist.
He was a Class 2A All-State pick along with making the Shreveport-Bossier Journal All-Metro Team last season.
“He’s humble, he’s hard working and he’s one of the best I’ve ever coached,” said Guin, who notably coached Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott at Haughton High School. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him playing on Sundays.”
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com