Nebraska hosted a large group of official recruiting visitors in Lincoln over the weekend, about 20 in total, and while that group included many top prospects, few were higher on the Huskers’ board than Hitchcock, a four-star defensive lineman from Galveston (Texas). Malcolm Simpson.
NU offered him last month and he quickly began arranging his official visit.
“Coach Knighton from Nebraska came to my school, talked to me and offered me personally,” Simpson told Husker Online. “It was amazing to have the head coach at Nebraska offer me personally. I’ve never had anything like that happen before, so I was really grateful.”
Simpson arrived on campus on Friday and completed his visit on Sunday, and things seem to be looking up between him and the Huskers.
Late Saturday night, HuskerOnline.com recruiting editor Brian Munson recorded a prediction on the On3 Recruiting Projection Machine (RPM) that Nebraska would take Simpson.
Nebraska is the overwhelming favorite to win the award, as Simpson currently has no other official visits scheduled, with Texas Tech, Kansas, USC and Baylor also in the running to sign him.
The Huskers’ history and tradition stands out to Simpson.
But the Huskers and Knighton made a big move to acquire him, even if only for a short time.
“What I know about Nebraska is that Nebraska used to be a lot better than Alabama and Georgia,” Simpson said. “They were basically Alabama and Georgia combined. You hear about their defensive linemen. Prince Will Uman MillenHe was a great player. He was an All-American as a freshman.”
Knighton said he sees a bit of himself in Simpson, and Simpson said Nebraska sees him as a player who can play multiple positions on defense.
“He sees me as a potential player,” Simpson said. “They see me moving around. He says I remind him of him in college. … They like me playing the 4, 5, 7, on the line. At the next level, you’ve got to get used to playing a little bit of every position. There’s no other option.”
According to the On3 industry rankings, a weighted average using all four major recruiting media companies, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Simpson is the No. 293 overall prospect in the class of 2025. He’s the No. 23 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 44 player in the Lone Star State.
