Stack Williams knew it was time for Anthony Simpson to pick a school.
Williams, a UConn football alum, runs Supreme Athlete, a Connecticut-based training and mentorship program that Simpson had been a part of since the seventh grade. In addition to player development, Williams serves as a liaison between college recruiters and the high schoolers with whom he works.
Simpson, a Bloomfield High graduate and the 2019 All-Courant Offensive Player of the Year, held offers from three FCS schools: Merrimack, Wagner and Central Connecticut. As the COVID-19 pandemic has turned college recruiting into an even-more uncertain landscape than it already was, Williams felt that it was now or never to find Simpson a home.
But before calling up one of the schools that had already offered Simpson, he made some last-ditch efforts to find a FBS home for his mentee.
Williams called four or five Power Five schools around the country, and for a myriad of reasons, they couldn’t take Simpson. Williams knew Simpson was a Power Five player — the film speaks for itself, he said — but the last thing he wanted to see was Simpson left out in the cold without a home for next season. Before circling back to the three schools that had already offered Simpson, he turned on ESPN and saw the news.
Don Brown, the recently-fired Michigan defensive coordinator with close ties to Connecticut and Williams, had been hired by Arizona in the same role.
“I’ve got to make one more call,” Williams said.
Williams called up Brown and pitched Simpson, whom Brown had been interested in at Michigan, but questioned his fit with the Wolverines. Two days later, Brown called back; Arizona was set to offer Simpson a scholarship.
“I called [Simpson] and said, ‘Do you want to play FBS football?’” WIlliams said. “He said, ‘Yes coach.’ I said are you willing to travel to the west coast to play football? He said, ‘Hell yeah.’ I said okay, well you’ve been offered by the University of Arizona.
“That boy cried.”
Simpson announced his commitment to Arizona on Friday.
“Nothing but joy, I cried,” Simpson said. “I was speechless. It was a blessing. I feel like I worked so hard, I think I deserved it. … It’s been a dream of mine to play FBS football since a kid. It’s been a dream just to see how kids are able to make it to a program like that. Me, honestly, I always thought I had the chance of playing FBS football.”
Simpson was a multi-dimensional, record-setting force at Bloomfield. As a senior, he caught 75 passes for 1,249 yards and 19 touchdowns, rushed for 1,242 yards and 24 touchdowns and intercepted 10 passes on defense — two of which were returned for touchdowns.
He won a Class S state championship as a junior, and helped the Warhawks to a state title berth as a senior. He scored twice in the championship game, a loss to Sheehan. Soon after he was named to the All-State team.
“He’s been the best at it for my tenure,” Bloomfield head coach Ty Outlaw said last year. “This is my 10th year here. He has been the best guy offensively, defensively, at wide receiver, at running back. We’ve had good talent at different positions. But as far as going from wide receiver, running back, defensive back, offense, defense, special teams, kick return, punt return — he’s been the best.”
Despite his gaudy numbers and raw athleticism (Simpson was a triple and long-jumper for Bloomfield’s state-title winning track and field team) he was far from a hot commodity on the recruiting trail. By the end of his senior season, he only had three offers from FCS schools. His academics held him back from playing at a higher level. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the traditional recruiting cycle too, with camps and combines canceled left and right.
But Simpson spent this past year at Trinity-Pawling, a prep school in New York, working on his grades. The team’s season was canceled, though they were able to train and hold combines. Simpson picked up a part-time job to get some extra cash in his pockets.
“I’m grateful to get to Trinity, I wanted another year to better myself in the classroom, better myself on the field,” Simpson said. “Just for them to give me the opportunity to come to their school, be a part of their family, was a great opportunity for me.”
Williams described Simpson as an old-school player, one that would play any role that a team asked him to play. A running back by trade (he was nicknamed AP in middle school after Adrian Peterson), Simpson flourished as a wide receiver, and developed into one of the state’s top ballhawks at defensive back. He once described himself as a mix of Randy Moss, Peterson and Deion Sanders.
Williams said that Brown and newly minted Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch have already jokingly fought over where Simpson will play at Arizona.
“They originally told me I could play running back, receiver, DB or safety,” Simpson said. “Honestly, it doesn’t even matter. Anything I have to do, wherever they want me to play, I’m just going to work hard.”
Simpson is the latest Supreme Athlete product to further his career. Over the past year, Bristol Eastern’s Jeff Davis (Penn State) and Suffield Academy’s Kechaun Bennett (Michigan) committed to Big Ten schools. Other alums include Windsor’s Marquis Williams (Penn State) and Tre Williams (Clemson) and Suffield Academy’s Justin Barron, who plays at Syracuse.
Simpson is next, and hopes to continue the upward trend of Connecticut football.
“I know from where we come from, the opportunity is so low,” Simpson said. “it’s great that I’m going to have the chance to keep making a name for the 860 so everybody can have the chance that I have.”
Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.