North Carolina has officially lost a highly-rated member of their 2011 recruiting class, the school announced Wednesday afternoon.
By way of a press release, the Tar Heels publicly acknowledged that they have released defensive lineman Delvon Simmons from his national letter of intent. Simmons had originally signed with UNC on signing day early last month.
“We have granted b his release and allowed him to pursue other options” was the extent of the quote from head coach Butch Davis sent out by the school on the first day of spring practice.
Word first surfaced last week that Simmons had asked for his release. Simmons’ high school coach confirmed at the time that his former player was looking to transfer, although he declined to reveal the specific reasons behind the request. It’s believed, though, that defensive line coach Brian Baker moving on to an NFL job six days after signing day played a significant role in Simmons’ abrupt change of heart.
As for where he might ultimately land, our buddy Chris Level of RedRaidersSports.com tweeted earlier today that “Texas Tech [will be] heavily in play. Auburn and Florida too.” The Red Raiders were one of Simmons’ five official visits, along with Iowa, Oregon, Rutgers and USC.
Prior to signing with the Tar Heels, Simmons was ranked as a four-star player and the No. 5 defensive tackle in the country according to Rivals.com. Scout.com had Simmons rated as a five-star player.