Countdown to Kickoff: 1 Day (Simmie Cobbs)

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Simmie Cobbs will be wearing the No. 1 jersey in 2015. Image: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Simmie Cobbs will be wearing the No. 1 jersey in 2015. Image: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

#1

Woo! The Hoosier Huddle Countdown has reached its epic conclusion. More than three months ago, we began this countdown by taking a look at number 99 (Adarius Rayner). Every day since, we have counted down the days until the Indiana Hoosiers kick-off the season against the Southern Illinois Salukis. We hope you enjoyed this countdown series and that is has helped you get to know the Hoosiers. Our final day of the countdown takes a look at a player expected to be one of the Hoosiers top offensive weapons, wide receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr.

Simmie Cobbs Jr.

  • Height: 6’4”
  • Weight: 212 pounds
  • Hometown: Oak Park, IL/Oak Park and River Forest
  • Year/Position: Sophomore/WR

As a high-schooler at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Chicago, Illinois, Simmie Cobbs Jr. was a standout on the hardwood. However, Cobbs decided to pursue a career on the gridiron and devoted his efforts and attention to becoming a star wideout. He was named the team’s all-purpose most valuable player and was rated the number 27 prospect in the state of Illinois. Cobbs’ recruitment heated up in the spring of 2013 as he visited Illinois, Iowa State and Purdue. The Boilermakers offered Cobbs in October and he committed shortly thereafter. However, Cobbs wasn’t quite sure about how things were going in West Lafayette and he decided to take a visit to IU in February of 2014. A few days later, Cobbs flipped his commitment from Purdue to IU and signed a letter of intent with the Hoosiers on February 5, becoming the 25th member of IU’s 2014 recruiting class.

Cobbs had an uneven freshman season. He started against both Penn State and Purdue and played in all 12 games, catching seven passes for 114 yards. His debut against Indiana State showed his promise as he notched three receptions for 57 yards in the IU victory. However, drops, uneven route running and the injury to Nate Sudfeld left fans wanting more from the large target from Illinois. Cobbs has spent the offseason working hard on his hands and on his connection with his quarterback. Reports from practice indicate that Cobbs is going to start the season as one of the outside wide receivers and that he has added ten pounds to his lengthy frame.

“I’m trying to get as much work in as possible so I don’t let my teammates down,” Cobbs told reporters in the spring. “I’m working on my eyes catching the ball and just trying to do as much work as I can.”

The Hoosiers will be relying on Cobbs to convert his offseason improvement into on-field production during the 2015 season. If he can use his height and added weight to make himself available for Sudfeld, you can count on him having plenty of opportunities to have a breakout sophomore campaign.

We’ve made it Hoosier fans, the season is here! Hoosier Huddle will have extensive coverage of each and every game and we’ll cover the 2015 IU football season from every angle. Stay with us and go Hoosiers.