4-star safety Kenneth Simon II names top four schools
Alabama , Ole Miss , Tennessee and Texas A&M have emerged as the top four schools in the recruitment of Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy four-star safety Kenneth Simon II .
That’s no surprise, as he’s spoken about his interest in the quartet of programs with Rivals over the last few weeks. On Monday, he officially named them as his top four schools.
Simon is the No. 226 overall prospect and No. 25 safety in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking , a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 10 recruit in Tennessee.
When speaking with Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman earlier this month, Simon said that he was nearing his college commitment. He’s now made the next step and continues to work towards that decision.
“It’s getting down to the wire,” Simon told Rivals . “I don’t know if it’ll be before or after (official visits). I have to talk about it with my family, but I’m close to the finish line. Checking out a few more details before I make the decision.”
Simon, a Tennessee legacy, was back in Knoxville two weekends ago for the Vols’ junior day. He was then on A&M’s visit list over the weekend and is set to return to Tuscaloosa this weekend.
Simon breaks down his top four
Ahead of competing at the Navy All-American Bowl earlier this month, Simon discussed his interest in his top four with Spiegelman:
Alabama:“When you think of Alabama, you think of winning,” he started. “As long as I’ve been alive, they’ve been winning. The standard at ‘Bama — I wanna be a part of that standard. It’s held high and you always wanna go somewhere with a high standard. Coach (Kane) Womack and DeBoer, talking to them has been cool. They brought my family in and talked about my fit there, and it was fun.”
Ole Miss:“Coach (Jake) Schoonover saw me last year. He and I are real tight, and Coach (Jay) Shoop just got promoted. He used to work with my dad at Tennessee,” Simon said. “Pete Golding is smart and knows what he’s talking about when it comes to linebacker. Henry To’oto’o came from De La Salle High and played for Pete at Bama. He told me Coach Golding is one of the smartest dudes he ever sat in the meeting room with. Being around people like that, getting my ball knowledge up would help.”
Tennessee:“Coach Inge and I have a really good relationship. I grew up around Knoxville and Coach Inge is a great coach,” Simon said. “Coach (Josh) Heuepel is good at building relationships. Our relationship is very good. We talk about how I fit into their system schematically, and it’s everything I would wanna do in college, so I like that.”
Texas A&M:“Coach Troop and I have a good relationship,” he said. “Coach (Mike) Elko is doing a great job, getting great players. Their recruiting class is insane right now. The defense is huge, it’s physical, and they play the right way. That’s what I like about A&M.”
