Shane Simmons commits to Penn State: 5-Star DE commits to Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions once again flexed his muscles on the recruiting trail on Wednesday and may have landed his biggest fish to date when 5-Star strong-side defensive end/outside linebacker Shane Simmons gave his pledge to the Nittany Lions.

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Simmons is one of the most highly-touted prospects in the class of 2016. The 6’4, 221-pounder is from Hyattsville, Maryland and attends DeMatha Catholic High School. Simmons announced his commitment during a webcast from DeMatha on ESPN.com Wednesday afternoon.

“I had the greatest connection with the coaches,” Simmons said during the webcast via Brandon Parker of The Washington Post. “When I got on campus it felt like home. It felt like DeMatha, a brotherhood and a great tradition, too.”

Many believed Simmons was a Florida State Seminoles’ lean – class of 2014 Seminoles’ signee offensive tackle Brock Ruble is from DeMatha – and the Ohio State Buckeyes were squarely in the mix, but in the end Penn State had “everything” Simmons wanted.

“I’ve been recruited since my eighth grade year and it’s been a long journey,” Simmons added. “I’ve been to every college I wanted to and Penn State had everything I wanted.”

Simmons is the country’s second-ranked strong-side defensive end prospect, the best-overall prospect from the state of Maryland and the 27th-ranked overall prospect in the class of 2016 according to 24/7 Sports’ composite rankings. Simmons also holds offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, among many others.