Three Pierce County athletes signed letters of intent to play Division I football Dec. 3. River Falls’ Sam Simpson put pen to paper to join Indiana, Prescott’s Kobe Russell signed to North Dakota State and George Rohl signed to Minnesota.

Simpson is a six-foot-four, 285-pound offensive lineman that is the fourth-ranked recruit in the state. With power conference offers from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Iowa State and Kansas, Simpson went with the Hoosiers.

Indiana won the Big 10 Championship on Saturday over Ohio State, heading into the College Football Playoff as the nation’s top-seeded team. Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti took over a struggling Indiana program and got the team into the College Football Playoff twice in two years. Cignetti was originally at James Madison University, making them into a smaller conference powerhouse. Offensive line coach Bob Bostad was also a draw, consistently developing NFL-caliber offensive linemen.

“I visited a ton of schools over the summer going into my junior year,” Simpson said. “Cignetti, he’s known for turning around programs… He’s just a really good head coach.”

He said a lot of programs had a variety of things to offer, but Indiana was the best choice for him as a student-athlete.

“It’s meant a lot. The journey I’ve had with these coaches and these players just built me up as a player and a person,” Simpson said.

Simpson’s favorite moment was winning the jug for the first time as a varsity athlete this fall against rival Hudson.

River Falls Head Coach Ryan Scherz had high praise for Simpson, calling him the best player he has ever and may ever coach. He said, more importantly, he is one of the best people he has ever coached, including as a teammate, student and person.

“I think my presence is out there in the community, and I hope that it’s a good presence,” Simpson said. “I hope me playing for River Falls can bring more joy to the college of Indiana, because, I mean, if they want to watch me play, they can watch me at Indiana.”

Simpson knows people growing up in River Falls will look up to him. He advised them to work hard in all facets of life.

“Just work hard. Everything you do, you should do to the best of your ability,” Simpson said. “Do the best you can do in school, be the best person you can and work as hard as possible.”

Russell

Russell is joining North Dakota State, a team that won 10 FCS titles from 2011-2024. Russell is the state’s 18th ranked prospect, ranked as a cornerback.

At six-foot-one and 189 pounds, Russell was one of the Middle Border Conference’s fastest and toughest athletes for years. He played all over the field including quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. His recruiting process started after his junior year.

“NDSU was the first school to offer me, so they were there since the beginning. That school was always in my mind,” Russell said. “I know some players on the team already and I’m very close with the coaching staff, so that’s kind of what helped me make my decision.”

Representing Prescott means a lot to Russell. He said he had opportunities to go to a big city and play for a prep team, but he wanted to stay with the people he grew up with. He also knew there was a path for him at Prescott because Prescott graduate Nick Schommer went to NDSU and was eventually a seventh-round pick in the NFL Draft.

“It means a lot,” Russell said. “I wanted to stick with my guys at Prescott, play with them. I’m really glad I made that decision. This is where I grew up. This is the city I’m from.”

Russell thanked the community, family, friends and coaches, saying he would not have made it this far without them.

“Just being from a small town, it’s kind of harder for most athletes to get that notice,” Russell said.

His favorite high school memory was Prescott’s 9-2 season during his junior year. The team made Prescott history.

Russell’s advice to the youth is to be your own biggest supporter, even in tough times. He also mentioned finding what parts of the hard work are enjoyable to you and leaning on those.

“You’ve got to be able to believe in yourself,” Russell said. “There’s going to be people that believe in you, but there’s also going to be people that don’t believe in you.”

To read about Rohl’s signing, check out the Ellsworth signing day article.