Another Simms weighs USF

TAMPA -- Highly touted quarterback Matt Simms has narrowed his choice of colleges to four and the University of South Florida is among those that made his final cut.

Matt, younger brother of Tampa Bucs quarterback Chris Simms, hopes to make a verbal commitment before he starts his senior year of high school in New Jersey, according to his father, Phil Simms.

"The two most important things we are looking at is the offensive system used and the opportunity. We like USF in both those areas," Phil Simms said Friday.

The elder Simms, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles and is now an NFL analyst for CBS, said he has taken a very active role in Matt's career after a hands off approach to Chris when he was a high school senior. Chris signed to play for the University of Texas where his career was marked by ups and downs and a quarterback controversy.

"I've been involved with Matt and have visited some of the schools he is interested in, including USF," Phil Simms said. "One of the things we both like about USF is that coach (Jim) Leavitt seems genuinely interested in Matt and that is very important to us.

"There are schools out there that just want to stockpile quarterbacks and I don't want my son to be in that type of situation. I like what I've seen with USF and spent time with coach Leavitt."

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Matt Simms is heading into this senior season at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. He led his team to an 11-1 record last year, losing in the parochial school state championship game.

Matt Simms threw for 2,744 yards and 30 touchdowns, completing 62 percent of his passes. He was a first team parochial school all-state quarterback and goes into his senior year as one of the top high school quarterback recruits in the country.

Phil Simms would not reveal the other three schools that his son is considering, but said the University of Southern California, which was rumored to be the front runner, is not among them. He also said rumors that Matt wanted to play in the same city as his older brother are not necessarily true.

"Myself and coach Leavitt laughed about that one. If anything, Matt would kind of prefer not to play in the same town as Chris," Phil Simms said. "But I don't think that will play into his decision either way. I just hope he can reach a decision before school starts."

Phil Simms said he would like to see his son in a situation where the quarterback position is wide open, which could be the case at USF for the 2007 season. Incumbent senior Pat Julmiste is expected to be the starter in the 2006 season and his backup is expected to be redshirt freshman Matt Grothe, who has never taken a snap in a college game. Carlton Hill, who went into spring practice as the No. 1 quarterback, is expected to moved to receiver. However, a recent arrest on a drug possession charge, makes his status uncertain.