Recruiting impact: Simpson commands broad respect as legendary high school coach, NFL vet
Long before he was one of the most coveted high school football players in the country, Leonard Taylor was just a rising star at Miami Southridge, intriguing college football coaches with his quick-twitch athleticism and mammoth frame. It was 2018 and coaches had started talking to him when they would make their trips to South Florida. Finally, Jess Simpson became the first to pull the trigger with a scholarship offer.
Simpson, who rejoined the Miami Hurricanes as defensive line coach Thursday, was in his first stint in Coral Gables at the time and he believed in Taylor’s potential to become one of the best defensive linemen in the country. Immediately, he made Taylor an early priority for Miami in the Class of 2021.
“Me and him,” Taylor said, “we were getting close.”
Ultimately, the relationship never had a chance to blossom. Simpson left to become the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive line coach less than four months after he made an offer to Taylor. Senior football advisor Todd Stroud, who succeeded Stroud and spent the past two seasons as the defensive line coach before moving into his new off-field role Thursday, had to finish off Taylor’s recruitment.
While Taylor’s tight relationship with Stroud is part of the reason he signed a national letter of intent with the Hurricanes last month, Taylor is excited about Simpson returning to Miami. The five-star defensive tackle from Miami Palmetto quickly offered congratulations to his future position coach, and the two talked on the phone Friday as Taylor prepares to join the Hurricanes later this year.
Taylor, Miami’s top-ranked commit in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2021 recruiting class, offers some insight into what Simpson’s big-picture recruiting pitch could look like.
Taylor’s excitement partly stems back to their prior relationship, but now the assistant coach also brings significant NFL experience with him. In two years with the Falcons, Simpson steadily helped improve Atlanta’s defense before the Falcons revamped their coaching staff this season.
“The plan was for me and him to get real close, but he ended up having to go to the league, so we really didn’t get to accomplish that. Now it’s back. I’m going to be able to really get to know him and stuff,” Taylor said. “Knowing the fact that he’s coached some NFL players, that’s going to be good for me because I feel like his knowledge can get me better and my game style better.”
His NFL experience now gives him a complete resume. As a high school coach, Simpson is one of the best in Georgia history as he guided Buford to seven state championships. As a college coach, Simpson guided former defensive lineman Gerald Willis to All-American honors in 2018 and helped the Hurricanes lead the nation in tackles for loss.
Already, he was effective as a recruiter in his lone season at Miami. Simpson, who was also briefly the defensive line coach for the Georgia State Panthers in 2016, helped the Hurricanes sign five players in the Class of 2019 and all five have developed into contributors.
In the 2019 class, Simpson signed two four-star recruits — defensive end Jahfari Harvey and Jason Blissett — and three three-star prospects. Even the three three-star prospects — defensive tackles Jared Harrison-Hunte and Jalar Holley and defensive end Cameron Williams — have turned into useful players at Miami.
Harrison-Hunte made one start at defensive tackle in 2020 and was leading the Hurricanes in sacks at the time of an elbow injury, which knocked him out for the final three games of the regular season. Harvey and Williams will both compete to start in this year after starting in the 2020 Cheez-It Bowl last month.
Blissett and Holley have both chipped in as rotational defensive linemen, too.
Worth noting: Blissett and Harrison-Hunte are from New York, which became a nice little recruiting pipeline for Miami in recent years with the help of former quality control analyst Mike Zuckerman, a New York native. With Zuckerman now the inside linebackers coach for the Utah State Aggies, Simpson could help the Hurricanes keep the pipeline open.
It also helps he commands respect from high school coaches wherever he goes, particularly in Georgia.
Justin Rogers, who now coaches at Colquitt County in Norman Park, was the coach at Jones County in Clay when Simpson was at Miami and the Hurricanes briefly recruited one of his players. Rogers spoke glowingly of Simpson at the time.
“Coach Simpson did a heck of a job at Buford, developing them into the power they are,” Rogers said in 2019. “It wasn’t all that when he first took over, so he’s very well respected in the state. He does an unbelievable job.”
In Round 2 at Miami, Simpson should only get better.
