3-star California linebacker Andrew Simpson commits to Kansas football

By Matt Tait     May 2, 2020

Kansas University football recruiting

Andrew Simpson, a three-star linebacker from St. John Bosco High in Southern California, became the second defensive player in the 2021 recruiting class to commit to the Kansas football program on Saturday night.

Simpson announced his news on Twitter, saying “I want to live the full college experience and go somewhere I know I will be focused on my craft.”

Primarily recruited by KU assistant coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound outside linebacker said his bond with Uzo-Diribe, along with the connection he made with the rest of the Kansas coaching staff, inspired him to make the call to join the Jayhawks.

“I wanted to go somewhere I was really wanted,” Simpson told Jon Kirby of JayhawkSlant.com. “And Kansas made me feel like I could come in immediately and make an impact. I feel like Coach Les Miles and Coach Diribe are great people, and we developed a strong relationship. They just made it feel right to commit there.”

In Simpson, the Jayhawks are adding a player with experience competing, preparing and winning at an elite level. Last season, St. John Bosco claimed its first outright national championship by finishing atop the USA Today and Max Preps high school football polls following a 13-1 season.

“We go to work and do a lot of things that some others don’t,” Simpson told Kirby of his high school program. “I feel like I’m prepared for college just because of everything we do every day and the competition that I have to face in practice and in games.”

KU’s newest commitment has yet to visit Lawrence, but he has talked to Uzo-Diribe about making that happen as soon as the COVID-19 health crisis passes.

He picked KU over offers from Oregon, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV and Utah State.

Simpson becomes the 10th commitment in KU’s current recruiting class, joining Little Rock, Ark., defensive end Deldrick Withers as the only two defensive players on the list to date.

The rest of KU’s class includes Lawrence High running back Devin Neal; Brownsburg (Ind.) High quarterback Ben Easters; Mena, Ark., tight end Mason Brotherton and Jaddai Henry, Majik Rector and Kelan Robinson, who are all wide receivers from Texas.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.