Monday, August 18, 1997
Recruit decides not to attend UCLA
FOOTBALL:
Simms cites personal problems as reason for withdrawalBy Mark
Dittmer
Daily Bruin Staff
Jesse Simms, a UCLA football recruit and grandson of Bruin
sports legend Jackie Robinson, has decided not to attend UCLA this
fall.
The defensive tackle from Norwalk, Conn., had signed a
letter-of-intent to attend UCLA, but on Aug. 4, when all other
Bruin freshmen were reporting to camp, Simms was explaining to UCLA
head coach Bob Toledo his decision not to enroll in school this
fall.
"He’s not going to enroll at UCLA, or anywhere else," UCLA head
coach Bob Toledo said in a statement. "(He’s going to) take the
next few months to evaluate his priorities away from the glare of
the spotlight.
"He’s not sure when and where he will decide to go to school or
if he will play football."
Meanwhile, Simms told the Los Angeles Times that he has not met
academic standards required by the NCAA to qualify for an athletic
scholarship.
"I’m 0.03 of a point from qualifying," Simms told the Times.
Simms’ family is appealing to the NCAA Clearinghouse, which
makes the decision regarding whether a player qualifies for a
scholarship.
He is hoping to substitute some courses taught at home because
of his dyslexia, thus raising his GPA above the 2.275 he needs to
qualify. Some schools accept nonqualifiers, who are ineligible to
play as freshmen, but UCLA has never accepted nonqualifiers or
partial qualifiers, according to athletic department spokesman Marc
Dellins.
Still, Toledo says he was told by Simms that his decision, "has
nothing to do with UCLA, but with the pressure and distractions he
has experienced during the last year."
Simms most recently found himself in the national spotlight on
April 16 of this year. On that day, in Shea Stadium, he threw out
the ceremonial first pitch in the midst of a ceremony celebrating
the 50th anniversary of his grandfather’s first game in the major
leagues.
Now UCLA loses not only its most famous recruit, but also one of
its best. Simms lettered for four years at King & Low Haywood
Thomas School in Stamford, Conn.
He has been ranked third among defensive linemen in the Big East
region by PrepStar, No. 13 among the nation’s defensive linemen on
SuperPrep’s All-American team, and No. 77 among all players in the
nation in Cornwell’s Top 100. No other UCLA recruit ranked higher
on Cornwell’s list.