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Father of Florida QB commit Austin Simmons responds to rumored reclassification, per report
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Austin Simmons committed to Florida on April 4 as a blue-chip quarterback prospect in the Class of 2025. There has been talk, though, that Simmons could be suiting up for the Gators earlier than expected.
Emilee Smarr of the Palm Beach Post recently spoke to David Simmons, Austin’s father, about the reports that his son has reclassified to the Class of 2023. David Simmons described the reports as “not accurate.”
Reports that 4-star #FloridaGators QB commit Austin Simmons has reclassified to the Class of 2023 are “not accurate,” per his father David Simmons.
The 17 year-old is still a Class of 2025 recruit and enrolled to play football at Moore Haven. #pbcpreps https://t.co/rLV9yg0L2J
— Emilee Smarr (@emilee_smarr) June 16, 2023
Simmons, 17, is in a unique position. A Palm Beach Post profile of Simmons from August 2022 detailed that at age 16 he had already completed his high school core classes as a homeschooled student and taken college courses online. In middle school, Simmons started playing varsity baseball (6th grade) and football (8th grade).
Following Florida’s spring game, just over 1 week after Simmons committed to UF, Gators head coach Billy Napier confirmed that he wants 4 scholarship quarterbacks on the depth chart for 2023. UF currently has 3 scholarship QBs: Graham Mertz, Jack Miller and Max Brown. The Gators have not been linked to any quarterbacks who entered the transfer portal in the spring window, prompting speculation that Simmons will be the team’s 4th scholarship quarterback.
As of right now, though, Simmons’ football team is Moore Haven, where his father is the offensive coordinator. Simmons previously played at Pahokee, earning a rating of 4-stars, the No. 4 QB and No. 63 prospect overall in the Class of 2025 on the 247Sports Composite.
Many Gator fans will be watching closely to see if Simmons decides to start his college career early and enroll in Gainesville.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
