At 8 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 5, Oak Park and River Forest senior Simmie Cobbs officially becomes an Indiana Hoosier. That’s when the 6-foot-4-inch wide receiver will sign his letter of intent to play college football for Indiana. OPRF teammates Jamal Baggett and Xavier Rowe will also ink letters of intent with Akron and Western Illinois, respectively, along with their buddy Cobbs’ commitment to Indiana in the OPRF Student Acitivities Office.
Cobbs initially committed (verbally) to Purdue in October, but he will sign with Indiana on National Signing Day tomorrow. The opportunity to play wide receiver at Indiana instead of safety at Purdue turned his decision in favor of the Hoosiers. A recent weekend official visit to Indiana also factored heavily into Cobbs’ choice.
Under head coach Kevin Wilson, Indiana has been on a recruiting roll lately with Georgia’s Kiante Walton and Florida’s Will Dawkins also choosing the Hoosiers on the same day as Cobbs. Highly-regarded Tommy Mister from (Chicago) St. Rita de-committed from Iowa State last week in favor of Indiana as well. Cobbs is the 25th member of Indiana’s solid recruiting class.
Generally regarded as three-star prospect, Cobbs turned in a stellar senior campaign playing wide receiver, safety, linebacker and special teams for the OPRF football team. Displaying tremendous strength, size and versatility coupled with a highly competitive motor, the Huskies’ prized wideout started garnerning national recruiting interest during the fall.
Cobbs attended Montini during his junior year, before returning to OPRF this school year. (Cobbs also went to OPRF his first two years of high school).
Cobbs, who was ruled eligible by the IHSA to play last season after missing the first two games, immediately sparked the Huskies upon his return to the gridiron during the Huskies’ 29-6 Week 3 win over Proviso West in both teams’ West Suburban (Silver) Conference opener. His high-leaping 29-yard touchdown catch, which occurred five seconds before halftime, triggered OPRF to victory.
Symbolically, Cobbs’ acrobatic catch also confirmed his coming home party complete with the Huskies.
“I’m speechless,” Cobbs said after the game. “I was so excited when I caught the touchdown pass. I haven’t played at Oak Park since my sophomore year. It was very touching for me to see my teammates, my coaches and all the Oak Park fans all so happy for me. I never wanted to leave Oak Park in the first place, but it is what it is. I feel back home.”
In the Huskies’ final game of the season, a 34-21 loss to Maine South in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs, Cobbs caught five passes for 102 yards including a 52-yard touchdown reception. Win or lose, he showed a penchant for big plays and plenty of fighting spirit on the field during the Huskies’ remarkable season.
Cobbs earned Class 8A All-State honors with 44 catches for 715 receiving yards and seven touchdowns for the Huskies, who finished the season with a 9-2 record under head coach John Hoerster.
Currently, Cobbs averages just shy of 19 points and 10 rebounds per game as a starting forward on the OPRF basketball team. His impressive work on the court also recently drew the interest of colleges with basketball scholarship offers from Purdue, Ball State and Western Michigan.
The versatile swingman powered the Huskies to a third-place finish and earned all-first team recognition at the 83rd Annual Pontiac Holiday Tournament over the holidays. His breakout 24-point, 8-rebound performance at Pontiac came against Simeon, the Class 4A four-time defending state champs. It also put Cobbs on the basketball recruiting radar.
“Simmie has adjusted quickly from football to basketball,” OPRF guard Erick Locke said after Pontiac. “He’s a matchup problem for anybody because of his size and athleticism.”
Cobbs missed basketball games the past few weekends to take official visits to colleges. Not coincidentally, the Huskies struggled in his abscence. While OPRF head basketball coach Maloney undeniably missed the contributions of Cobbs on the court, he’s glad that his star senior forward did the proper due dilligence to made the right college decision.
“I am overjoyed that Simmie has found a place that he may call home for the next stage of his academic and athletic careers.” Maloney said.
Like OPRF, Indiana looks like a good place to call home for the talented Cobbs.