Keith Simms

Keith Simms poses with Oregon coaches during his in-home visit

(Courtesy of Keith Simms)

Pac-12 Conference pledges from the East Coast are typically the first National Letters of Intent to make their way through the fax machine, thanks for the three-hour time difference.

On Wednesday, that was again the case for the Oregon Ducks, whose first announced signee on National Signing Day was recent Maryland four-star linebacker commit Keith Simms.

After a busy past few days, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker finally discussed his reasons for choosing the Ducks.

"I picked Oregon ultimately because my relationship with the coaches and players," he said. "I really trust the coaching staff and I feel they are very stable, which is something that is important to me. I had an awesome visit, and honestly it was unmatched."

Considered a battle between Oregon, Virginia Tech and possibly North Carolina in the final weeks, Simms' decision finally turned in the Ducks' favor after a stellar in-home visit.

That chat also gave him the opportunity to meet new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke.

"Coach Hoke is a great guy," Simms said. "He has a lot of football knowledge and I know he runs a 4-3 scheme, which is something that will be beneficial for me down the road. He was definitely a big factor, but that being said, I liked Oregon before his time, too."

Oregon has seven players already on campus and another three set to enroll in spring, but no day in recruiting comes with more pageantry than signing day."

Kicking it off for the Ducks was Simms.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec