Blake Sims makes case for Gainesville High School football head coach job

Blake Sims is ready to give back to his alma mater. However, it’s not the Crimson Tide that the former Alabama quarterback wants to reconnect with. Instead, it’s Gainesville High School in Georgia. On Friday, Sims made a post, announcing his desire to take the reins at his former school.

“Gainesville needs to hire me as the next head coach,” Sims wrote on X, tagging the high school’s football account.

Gainesville would be hard pressed to find a candidate with a better résumé. Sims attended Gainesville HS for his junior and senior seasons. Under head coach Bruce Miller, Sims led Gainesville to a 14–1 record and a state runner-up finish.

In his junior campaign, Sims tallied 2,785 passing yards, 822 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. As a senior, he notched 2,288 passing yards for 28 touchdowns while rushing for 863 yards and 13 scores. For his efforts, he earned AAA All-State honors from the Associated Press in 2009.

Sims’ success didn’t stop at the high school level. The highly-touted QB accepted an offer to play at Alabama over offers from Tennessee, Georgia, FSU and Michigan. Sims saw limited action during his first three seasons with the Crimson Tide, serving as a running back and backup quarterback.

Blake Sims makes a name for himself at Alabama

Alas, Sims’ patience paid off and he secured the starting spot in his senior season with the program. Sims didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, erupting for 28 touchdowns and 3,487 passing yards, the most in a single season in program history at the time.

Alabama ultimately fell to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship. Sims was not drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft and failed to immediately make an NFL roster despite landing tryouts with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins.

After several years in international leagues and two separate stints on NFL practice squads, Sims officially retired in August 2022. It didn’t take long for Sims to find a new role in football. On March 17, 2023, Sims announced he would be the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Mt. Bethel Christian Academy.

Now, Sims hopes to begin his head coaching career. With experience under Nick Saban, Sims learned from the best. If Gainesville High School listens to Sims’ pleas, the former All-SEC standout can pass down his knowledge to the next generation.