- Indiana
STATE CHAMPS! SCOUT TEAM: Burney’s Indiana football recruiting notebook — Simmons gets IU love, Sales gives it
Indiana University just snared Brownsburg senior offensive tackle Josh Sales and is making a run at Fishers junior two-sport star Jeff Simmons.
Sales (6-foot-6, 285 pounds), considered the No. 3 prospect in the state’s Class of 2021, according to 247Sports, committed last week.
Simmons (6-6, 210), a hybrid tight end on the football field who also excels as a hoopster, was offered by IU, a day later. It was his first offer for football. He caught 26 passes for 400 yards and six touchdowns last season as a sophomore. On the hardwood, Simmons averaged 17 points and seven boards per night.
Sales chose IU over Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Maryland and Missouri. The book on Sales is that the kid is a straight mauler, a road grader on the line with great footwork and technique. Scouts love his jump off the snap and agility in pass protection.
Boiling up
Purdue is putting the full-court press on Indianapolis Pike senior offensive lineman Mahamane Moussa. The 6-5, 265-pound Moussa is a diamond in the ruff type just starting to see traction in his recruiting. His motor is exceptional and has reportedly made Coach Brohm’s staff go ga ga. Moussa’s other power conference offers come from Wake Forest, Louisville, Boston College and Kansas. Word is Moussa might be on the verge of committing to the Boilermakers. He tweeted Sunday “Big news the 11th.”
Welcome back, buddy
Carter DeGraaf (6-6, 315 OL) will return to Center Grove for his senior season after playing last year in Michigan at Hudsonville. While at Hudsonville, he helped his squad win a district championship (equivalent of a sectional). Center Grove lost in the Class 6A state finals last season.
DeGraaf played his first two years of high school pigskin at Center Grove, but moved with his family to the west side of Michigan for a year. He has offers from Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Army and will be protecting IU quarterback recruit Tayven Jackson back at Center Grove. His big brother, Justin, starred on a state-finals basketball club at Center Grove as a junior in 2019, alongside Jackson and his Mr. Basketball brother Trayce Jackson-Davis and will play in college at UC-San Diego.
