Miami adds a nice developmental player for the future of the DLine
In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet a dynamic defender who brings size and potential to the interior of the Miami defensive line: Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna 3-star DT Donta Simpson.
Bio
As Miami looked to build depth along the defensive line in the 2024 recruiting class, they turned their attention to Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna DT Donta Simpson.
A 6’3” 281lb lineman, Simpson has a good frame to grow into a solid player at the college level. Playing both ways for Chaminade — a small school with around 50 players on the football team — Simpson has had a positive impact on multiple State Championship teams.
Simpson started to make an impact as a sophomore for Chaminade, posting 29 tackles, 85. TFLs, and 4.5 sacks for the State Champs. Though he was an underclassman, Simpson still earned his first offer in January following his sophomore year. And who was the first to offer? Miami, of course.
Stepping into a larger role as a junior for Chaminade, Simpson did not disappoint. He had 43 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, 3 FF, 2 FR and a pick six for an undefeated team that won yet another Florida 1M title. And, after that strong season, Simpson saw an increase in his recruiting profile.
Simpson took Official Visits to FAU, Maryland, West Virginia, and Illinois before eventually committing to Maryland. But, the story didn’t end there.
Simpson took multiple Unofficial Visits to Miami in one week about a month after his commitment to Maryland, and the game was immediately afoot. After those visits, Simpson saw the light; he decommitted from Maryland 5 days after his 2nd visit to Miami, and flipped his commitment to the Canes that same day.
Back on the field as a senior, Simpson continued his strong play. In 7 games (missed several with injury), he posted 35 tackles, 10 TFLs, and a blocked field goal heading into the Regional finals. Chaminade is 3 games away from another State Championship heading into Early Signing Day.
Recruiting Ranking
On the 247sports composite, Simpson is a 3-star prospect, the #71 DT nationally, #82 in the State of Florida, and #624 player overall in this class.
Simpson flipped his commitment to Miami from Maryland, and over a list of 15 scholarship offers from around the country.
As A Player
At 6’3” 281lbs, Simpson has a solid frame for a defensive tackle. He’s listed at 281lbs, and will need to add size to his frame and strength to his game. Simpson profiles as a player who can play at this level, but it might take a couple of developmental years for that to happen.
Simpson is yet another player to come through the HSFB powerhouse program at Chaminade. They do a great job at developing talent, and setting a good foundation of technique to build upon. That technique will come in handily for Simpson as he continues to develop his body and work towards playing time in the future.
An explosive athlete on the defensive interior, Simpson uses quickness to great effect. He shows a good, quick first step that creates trouble for opposing linemen many times in games. And, once they start shading to the quick first step, Simpson is able to use power to get into the backfield, disrupting running and passing plays alike.
Simpson is a solid run defender, but this is an area for growth. He’s best at using his quickness to get up field at the HS level, but he’ll have to develop the ability to hold the point of attack to have an impact in the run game at the next level.
Strengths
- Championship pedigree
- Quickness
- Production
Weaknesses
- Developing Technique
- Strength
- Point of attack run defense
Miami Outlook
Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.
Miami is losing a LOT at defensive tackle from the roster, so getting a talented player like Simpson to join this class is a welcomed sight. Still,, it might be a minute before he makes his way into the 2-deep rotation.
In a perfect world, Simpson takes a redshirt in 2025, and works his way into the lineup in the following years. Something along the developmental path of current Miami DT Ahmad Moten would be great for both player and team. Anything above that would be bonus. Still, Simpson is a solid prospect and should be a rotational player along Miami’s DL in the years to come.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.