Walter Simmons III

Position:
Quarterback
Height:
6-2
Weight:
194
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Orange Park, Fla.
High School:
Oakleaf
Major:
Sport Studies

Verbally committed to East Carolina on August 1, 2020 … Officially enrolled early at ECU (January, 2021) and is expected to participate with the Pirates in spring drills.

High School: A four-year starter as a dual-threat quarterback for Oakleaf from 2017 to 2020 ... Accounted for 2,274 total yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior while leading the Knights to a 7-4 record and second-round playoff appearance under coach Frank Garis ... Completed 128-of-235 passes for 1,747 yards and 20 touchdowns ... Had a long completion of 71 yards vs. Camden County ... Tossed three TDs in a game on three occasions (Fleming Island, Mandarin, Clay) and surpassed 200 yards three times (20-of-33 for 316 vs. Lowndes, 13-of-20 for 251 vs. Clay and 13-of-30 for 238 vs. Camden County) ... Rushed for 527 yards on 108 carries (4.9 ypr) with eight scores ... Top ground outing was a regular season matchup vs. Bartram Trail (17-156, 2 TD, long of 80), while another notable effort came against the same opponent in a postseason clash (13-75) ... Eclipsed 50-plus rushing yards in five contests ... Charged with just two fumbles all season ... Had key role in the Knights' 7-3 campaign in 2019 as a junior ... Produced a pair of 200-yard passing performances - 15-of-23 for 291 yards with four TD vs. Orange Park and 9-of-12 for 215 yards and a TD vs. Nease ... Rushing efforts of note was a four-carry, 117-yard, one-score outing against Gainesville and a 151-yard (20 attempts) night vs. Sandalwood ... Accounted for 300 of OHS's 396 total yards during a 34-20 victory over Clay ... Passed for 2,187 yards (141-of-287) and 18 TDs, while adding 210 rushing yards (75 carries) and four ground scores during sophomore campaign in 2019 ... Authored five 200-plus-yard passing outings and surpassed the 300-yard milestone twice - 15-of-31 for 318 yards and four TDs vs. Vanguard, 16-of-30 for 302 yards vs. Bartram Trail ... Picked up 74 rushing yards on eight attempts in the playoff opener vs. Lincoln to headline top ground effort ... Began prep career as a starter for coach Steve Reynolds, completing 87-of-197 passes for 1,108 yards and five touchdowns in 2017 ... Was 10-of-25 for 146 yards and a TD in prep debut vs. Camden County and followed with five other triple-digit aerial performances, which included a season-best 224-yard effort vs. Vanguard ... A consensus three-star prospect (247Sports.com, Rivals.com, ESPN.com) ... Rated No. 18 among all dual-threat quarterbacks nationally per ESPN.com (33rd by 247Sports.com) ... Also recruited by Central Florida, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Marshall, Memphis, Old Dominion, South Florida, Southern Miss, UAB, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Personal: Grandfather (Walter Simmons, Sr.) was a defensive end at Edward Waters College, an NAIA school in Jacksonville, while father (Simmons, Jr.) was a defensive tackle for Bethune-Cookman ... Made the transition to quarterback at age 11 after beginning Pop Warner career as a defensive end and linebacker ... A communication major.