Andrew Simpson leads one of nation's top defenses
Andrew Simpson is ready to play some football. After signing with Kansas last Wednesday, he is hoping his team has a season and starts playing games.
Simpson, who plays for St. John Bosco, which is one of the top high school programs in the country. After the 2019 season they were named the national champions by the USA Today.
California hasn’t started the season yet due to the Coronavirus, but they are hopefully getting closer.
“We've been practicing, but we haven't played yet,” Simpson said. “We're supposed to play next month but I’m not sure yet.”
This isn’t what Simpson was hoping for his senior season, but he’s being patient waiting to see things play out.
“It's definitely been tough,” he said. “I've still just continued to work because that’s all we can do. There hasn’t been much change except for school and going to practice.”
The good news for Simpson came last Wednesday when he signed his letter of intent with Kansas. In the Jayhawks 3-4 defense he is the only, true linebacker. They use linebackers to play on the edge and pass rush as well, but Simpson would play more in the middle of the field.
“Andrew has athleticism to play in space,” said Kansas defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot. “He has speed and then close and make tackles. Andrew also is physical enough to get off blocks. He's a guy that he's going to be a great addition for us because he has not only the physical attributes, but he has all the intangibles too.”
Another attribute Simpson has is the ability to make the calls and lead a defense. That’s what he has done for Bosco and helped oversee a talented defense.
“He comes from a winning program where he's a leader,” Eliot said. “He's a quarterback of the defense. He makes all the checks in a complicated system that's similar to ours, and he's going to bring a lot to the table as a football player and as a teammate.”
Simpson committed to Kansas last May after earning scholarship offers from Oregon, San Diego State, San Jose State, and others. He stayed true to the Jayhawks throughout the recruiting and that is a credit to the job Chidera Uzo-Diribe did.
“Me and Coach Chidera were there together and just did it that way from day one,” Simpson said. “I knew that he wanted me to be there and I wanted to be there. So, I'm just excited and I know that he's going to look out for me, and we'll be all right.”
Simpson will arrive in the summer and hopes to make a quick adjustment to Lawrence. After going through a long senior year where they are still hoping to play, he’s looking forward to his days as a Jayhawk.
“I'm blessed for sure because I know there's a lot of kids that don't have the opportunity to go play division one football,” he said. “Especially at a time like this. For me to be able to do it, I'm just blessed and I'm excited for the opportunity.
“I just want to get there and be comfortable in the environment. I know it is not going to be the same that I'm used to. I want get there and get ready and hopefully be able to get on the field early.”