Four-star RB James Simon trims his interest list down

James Simon is a four-star running back from Shreveport, Louisiana. He's one of the top running back recruits in the nation, so naturally, plenty of big-time schools are after his commitment.

With over 20 offers to his name, Simon recently announced that he's trimmed his interest list down to seven.

The seven contenders?

Alabama, Louisiana Tech, Miami, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

LSU makes sense because the Tigers are the in-state blue blood. Louisiana Tech may seem like a bit of an outlier on this list, but there's a family connection with the Bulldogs that make them a contender for Simon's commitment

"They’re in my blood, all my family has gone there and they’ll forever be a part of my family," the four-star told On3 regarding Tech.

It's also worth keeping an eye on Notre Dame here. Simon mentioned associate head coach and running backs coach Deland McCullough by name, and he also appears to have great respect for what head coach Marcus Freeman has done with the brand.

"They treat me like a true family and like a brotherhood. Coach Deland is a great figure and leader to be behind as well as coach Freeman," Simon said. "They show me that not only playing for them will have me set for amazing heights while I’m there, but also after I head to the league with all the relationships I have built."

Alabama will always be a contender for top running backs and both Texas and Texas A&M now offer him the opportunity to play SEC ball. Miami may be at a bit of a disadvantage here being the lone ACC program, but Simon does like the "The U".

"They’ve shown consistent love and have been fighting hard showing me why I belong there," he said of the Hurricanes.

It will be intriguing to see how these final seven schools stack up down the home stretch. Per 247Sports, Simon is the No. 8 running back in the 2025 recruiting class.