Jeff Sims (born January 1, 2002) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He formerly played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
| Arizona State Sun Devils – No. 6 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Major | Business Administration |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 1, 2002 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Sandalwood High School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
Early life
editSims played high school football for Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida from 2016 to 2020. He served as the team's starting quarterback starting in his sophomore year.[1] While initially hoping to play college football for the Miami Hurricanes, the team showed no interest in him, and he instead was drawn towards the Florida State Seminoles under then-head coach Willie Taggart.[2] In February 2019, he committed to Florida State,[1] with the prospect of being a backup quarterback to James Blackman.[2] Later that year, he competed in the Elite 11 quarterback competition.[3] On December 11,[4] following Florida State's firing of Taggart and hiring of Mike Norvell as new head coach,[3] he rescinded his commitment to Florida State,[1] and on December 18, he signed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[5] Ultimately, Sims had received over a dozen offers from schools in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision,[3] including Florida State, Georgia Tech, and the Maryland Terrapins.[5] 247Sports.com ranked him the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 223 recruit overall.[6] In January 2020, he played in the Under Armour All-America Game, a high school football all-star game, where he was part of the winning team.[7]
Sims's uncle, Mike Sims-Walker, is a former football player who played in the National Football League for the Jacksonville Jaguars.[8]
College career
editGeorgia Tech
editFollowing the team's 2019 season, quarterback Tobias Oliver was moved to cornerback, leaving that position empty, with Sims, Tucker Gleason, James Graham, and Jordan Yates vying for the position during the offseason.[9] Graham and Sims were considered the strongest candidates for the position, though the team refused to comment prior to the start of the season.[10] On September 11, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution announced that Sims would be the team's starting quarterback.[1] He made his collegiate start on September 12, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 16–13 upset victory against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium.[11] Sims completed 24 of 35 passes for 277 passing yards and accumulated 64 rushing yards.[12][13] With the game, Sims became the first true freshman quarterback to play in a season opener for the Yellow Jackets since Reggie Ball in 2003 and the first to win a season opener.[14] For his performance, Sims was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rookie of the week and 247Sports.com's true freshman of the week,[15][16] and was recognized in weekly lists put out by the Davey O'Brien Award and the Manning Award.[17][18][19] Following this debut, the Yellow Jackets suffered two defeats, losing 49–21 to the UCF Knights and 37–20 to the Syracuse Orange.[20][21] In the latter game, Sims threw four interceptions.[22]
Sims showed some improvement in his sophomore campaign, throwing for 1,468 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions - along with 372 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in 5 starts. However, he shared the role of starting quarterback with freshman Jordan Yates, as the Yellow Jackets finished with a 3-9 record and once again missed out on bowl eligibility.[23] On November 27, 2022, Sims announced his decision to enter the transfer portal.[24]
Nebraska
editOn December 18, 2022, Sims announced his commitment to Nebraska Cornhuskers.[25]
On December 11, 2023, Sims announced that he would be entering the transfer portal for the second time.[26]
Arizona State
editOn May 1, 2024, Sims announced that he would transfer to Arizona State.[27] On August 19, 2024, head coach Kenny Dillingham announced Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt would be the starting QB for opening game of the 2024 season with Sims as his backup.[28]
Statistics
edit| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | 3–7 | 141 | 257 | 54.9 | 1,881 | 7.3 | 13 | 13 | 122.9 | 120 | 492 | 4.1 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 6 | 2–4 | 113 | 188 | 60.1 | 1,468 | 7.8 | 12 | 7 | 139.3 | 70 | 372 | 5.3 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 3–4 | 110 | 188 | 58.5 | 1,115 | 5.9 | 5 | 3 | 113.9 | 87 | 288 | 3.3 | 1 | |
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 5 | 2 | 0–2 | 28 | 47 | 59.6 | 282 | 6.0 | 1 | 6 | 91.5 | 42 | 189 | 4.5 | 1 | |
| Arizona State Sun Devils | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 13 | 25 | 52.0 | 168 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 | 108.4 | 24 | 101 | 4.2 | 1 | |
| Career | 33 | 26 | 8−18 | 405 | 705 | 57.4 | 4,914 | 7.0 | 31 | 29 | 122.3 | 343 | 1,442 | 4.2 | 13 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Sugiura, Ken (September 11, 2020). "Jeff Sims to start at quarterback for Georgia Tech". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Myerberg, Paul (July 8, 2019). "Jeff Sims aims big future at Florida State as critical recruit for Seminoles". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c Freeman, Clayton (December 11, 2019). "Sandalwood QB Jeff Sims de-commits from Florida State". The Florida Times-Union. Gannett. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ Nivison, Austin (September 12, 2020). "LOOK: Elite 11 trolls Mike Norvell, Florida State". 247Sports.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ a b Sugiura, Ken (December 18, 2019). "4-star quarterback Jeff Sims surprises Georgia Tech on signing day". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Weiler, Curt (September 11, 2020). "Report: Former FSU commit Jeff Sims to start at quarterback for Georgia Tech vs. Seminoles". Tallahassee Democrat. Gannett. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ McGavic, Matthew (January 2, 2020). "Jeff Sims Excels In Under Armour All-American Game". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Reed, Tashan (June 7, 2019). "'He can do it all, man': QB Jeff Sims might be Florida State's most important commitment for 2020". The Athletic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (August 7, 2020). "Quarterback derby cranks up at Georgia Tech". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ Henry, George (September 9, 2020). "Georgia Tech mum on name of Yellow Jackets' starting QB". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ Cunningham, Michael (September 12, 2020). "Georgia Tech upsets FSU with dynamic freshman QB Jeff Sims". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Sallee, Barrett (September 12, 2020). "Florida State vs. Georgia Tech score, takeaways: Yellow Jackets rally as Noles drop fourth straight opener". CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Ferrante, Bob (September 12, 2020). "Georgia Tech edges Florida State 16-13". AP News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Shirley, Daniel (September 13, 2020). "Tech Takeaways: Jeff Sims, Yellow Jackets open 2020 season in style". The Athletic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (September 14, 2020). "Georgia Tech's Jeff Sims, Curtis Ryans named ACC players of week". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Hummer, Chris (September 13, 2020). "Georgia Tech's Jeff Sims is 247Sports' True Freshman of the Week". 247Sports.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^ "CCU's McCall one of eight finalists for 'Manning Award Quarterback of the Week'". WMBF-TV. September 15, 2020. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "CCU QB Grayson McCall named to Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award's Great 8 List". WMBF-TV. September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "Sims named Manning Award Quarterback of the Week". The Griffin Daily News. Paxton Media Group. September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
- ^ Bianchi, Mike (September 19, 2020). "UCF makes statement to playoff committee with rout of Georgia Tech | Commentary". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (September 27, 2020). "5 takeaways from Georgia Tech's loss to Syracuse". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Payne, Jacob (September 27, 2020). "Five Takeaways Cruises 'Cuse Past Georgia Tech". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "2021 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ Sims, Jeff [@JeffSims_10] (November 27, 2022). "https://t.co/oNMzs4FPPO" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Sims, Jeff [@JeffSims_10] (December 18, 2022). "GBR🌽 #GiveEmGame https://t.co/NZZcnF7iq7" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dorn, Nolan (December 11, 2023). "Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims enter transfer portal, report says". KLKN-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Bredeson, Evan (May 1, 2024). "Former Nebraska quarterback commits to Arizona State". Cornhuskers Wire. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Gardner, Michelle (August 19, 2024). "Sam Leavitt officially named starter for Arizona State football opener against Wyoming". Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 20, 2024.