| Simms comes full circle: Louisville
Matt Simms' unexpected second ride on the recruiting carousel has ended and this time it has stopped at the same place his first ride did nearly five months ago.
The Don Bosco quarterback and son of Giants legend Phil Simms reaffirmed his commitment to Louisville on Monday, again accepting a scholarship to attend the school from which he withdrew his verbal pledge when former head coach Bobby Petrino fled to the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 8.
After taking official visits to Michigan State and North Carolina State, Matt Simms ultimately decided that the best college for him was the one he had picked from the start.
His recruitment came full circle only three weeks after he retreated to square one.
"Sometimes you just can't explain things, everything just feels right, and Louisville is what feels right,'' Matt Simms said. "When I backed away, that gave me a chance to see what else is out there. What you realize is that there are other great schools out there, a lot of people out there you can trust.
"For me, all the stones pretty much fell into place, leading me back to Louisville.''
His change of heart comes after the 18-year-old Matt Simms insisted it would take "a long shot'' for him to reconsider joining the Cardinals, especially in the initial hours that followed Petrino's departure to the NFL.
Doubts he had about the future at Louisville were eased somewhat when Louisville hired Steve Kragthorpe to succeed Petrino. The Cardinals also retained assistant coach Jeff Brohm, who played a pivotal role in luring Matt Simms to the school the first time around.
Both coaches met with Matt Simms at Don Bosco on Jan. 17, urging the highly sought-after player to change his mind. Ultimately that's exactly what he did, but not without a recruiting battle, especially with N.C. State and its new coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Dana Bible, who previously had built a relationship with Matt Simms when he was at Boston College.
In the end, after discussing his options with brother Chris, the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his father, the youngest Matt Simms felt most comfortable with Kragthorpe, Brohm and the Cardinals.
"I talked to both [Kragthorpe and Brohm], they called me right after school,'' Matt Simms said. "It was perfect timing because I really thought all day about my decision. When I answered the phone, they said, 'Are you coming to Louisville?' And I said, 'Yes, sir, I am.' ''
Matt Simms was sold on Louisville in August when he committed early, hoping to avoid the extra attention that comes with holding out and making a decision closer to national signing day (Feb. 7). He believed in the potential of a program poised for big things, not just in the Big East Conference but also nationally.
It was not until Petrino left the Cardinals that Matt Simms wavered, reopening a process that for him had been slammed shut months earlier.
"Really what I learned from this whole situation is that, in a process like this, you've got to take your time and make sure you're doing the right thing,'' Matt Simms said. "I think [Kragthorpe] understood that we were both in an odd situation with the events that happened. We were both starting from square one, so we had to get to know each other pretty quickly and he did a very good job with the time he had to win me over.'' | 
