Missouri high school football star commits to USC Trojans
TOWN & COUNTRY, MISSOURI – Corey Simms had a little fun with the assembled crowd at his college commitment announcement at Christian Brothers College High School on Sunday.
The 4-star wide receiver had the hats of his three finalists – USC, Penn State and Missouri – on the table in front of him and, one by one, the CBC standout rising senior put them on before tossing them aside.
Then Simms stood up, took another USC cap from his mom, put it on his head and then unzipped his sweatshirt to reveal a USC t-shirt.
“I feel like I can go in there and make an impact and be developed as a football player by Lincoln Riley and Coach (Dennis) Simmons,” Simms said of the Trojans.
It was the culmination of a long recruiting process that saw the dynamic 6-foot-3, 205-pounder receive more than 30 scholarship offers before narrowing his decision to three schools and then to one.
“Coach Riley always keeps a quarterback in his back pocket so I feel like I’m going to always have somebody to throw the ball to me," Simms said. "I’ve got Julian Lewis committed, in my class, that’s going to be there throwing the ball to me. We have a great connection.”
Simms was asked if it was difficult to say no to the home state Missouri Tigers.
“It was tough," he said. "I was in love with Missouri for a long time but I feel like the official (visit) had a lot of impact, had a lot to do with why I made my decision.”
Simms is ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 prospect in Missouri in the Class of 2025, the No. 19 wide receiver prospect nationally and the No. 89 prospect nationally overall.
On3 (industry) ranks him as the No. 3 prospect in the state, while 247Sports rates him as the fifth-best prospect and On3 ranks him as the No. 6 prospect.
What are the USC Trojans getting in Simms?
“They are getting that 6-foot-3 guy that can play slot, can play outside," CBC coach Scott Pingel said. "I think he’s that new versatile receiver that can do a little bit of everything. He can control the middle of the field or he can get vertical on the outside and win those jump balls. They are getting a very versatile guy.”
Related: Missouri's top 2025 football recruits
Simms had a breakout junior season in which he grabbed 79 receptions for 1,049 yards and 12 TDs and helped CBC finish as the runner-up in Missouri Class 6. He was the Cadets' second-leading receiver as a sophomore – 32 catches for 446 yards and four TDs – as CBC won its second straight state title.
“It’s just kind of that maturation of becoming that 16 to 17 year old," Pingel said of Simms' progression from his sophomore to junior season. "Your body transforms. The way you play transforms. He just took that next leap and it wasn’t surprised. What he’s had this offseason has been phenomenal. The sky is the limit for this cat. What he’s done so far this offseason, he’s already transformed again so be ready for him this year.”
Simms took official visits to Penn State, USC, Nebraska and Missouri in the weeks leading up to Sunday's announcement. His father, Corey Simms, played basketball at the University of Nebraska from 2001-05.
Related: Corey Simms previews Sunday decision; Missouri, Penn State, USC in final 3
The CBC standout becomes the 12th known verbal commitment for the Riley and Trojans in the Class of 2025. He is the ninth commitment ranked as a 4-star prospect or better. Quarterback Ju Ju Lewis is the lone 5-star prospect currently committed to USC.
Simms is the second wide receiver among that group, joining Romero Ison. A 3-star prosepct from Baltimore, Md., Ison pledged to the Trojans back in April. USC only signed one wide receiver – Xavier Jordan – in its 2024 class.
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- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com
NATE LATSCH, SBLIVE SPORTS
Nate Latsch is a Regional Editor at SBLive Sports overseeing high school coverage for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A veteran sportswriter and multimedia content creator, Latsch has covered high school sports in the St. Louis area and Missouri for 20 years, with a focus on high school football, basketball, baseball and football and basketball recruiting. He has worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLhighschoolsports.com, the Associated Press, FOX Sports Midwest, MLB.com and Scout.com. In addition to covering high school sports, Latsch has covered youth, college and professional sports, including covering the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams, the University of Missouri and Saint Louis University.