Matt Rhule says 'the sky's the limit' for Jeff Sims

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule set a pretty high standard for new quarterback Jeff Sims.

The Georgia Tech transfer is set to compete with returning starter Casey Thompson ahead of the 2023 season. However, Rhule had high praise for Sims and what he could do with the Huskers.

Turns out, the sky’s the limit for Sims at Nebraska.

“I’ve watched Jeff, you know, I watched him at Georgia Tech,” Rhule said. “I know the character that he has, the football brain that he has. When you take a guy that’s that dynamic, that explosive and the leadership capabilities he has, and the brain that he has (it’s great). 

“To want to play football, I think the sky’s the limit for Jeff and you know, he’ll have a lot of opportunities this spring to really master the offense and show what he can do along those lines.”

Sims played 25 games at Georgia Tech and finished with 4,464 yards, 30 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, a 57.5% completion percentage, 1,152 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

Now that Sims is at Nebraska, he could improve in Rhule’s offense. But Thompson is still there.

“Yeah, I don’t have expectations for anybody just because, as I said, like I think guys actually give everyone a kind of a clean slate,” Rhule said when asked about Thompson. “You know, when I watched Casey play last year, I thought he played really, really well. I thought he was. I thought, he was making key throws, shows elite timing in the passing game. You know, he’s just got to get healthy.”

Matt Rhule evaluates the transfer portal

Aside from the Sims transfer to Nebraska, Rhule did not reveal much about the portal and team ahead of the 2023 campaign.

“I’m very hesitant to talk about positions we have spaces to fill,” Rhule said. “Sometimes I hear people talk. I think we all have to be very careful about, ‘Well, they’re really bad at this position,’ because these kids are still 18-22. They’re not NFL players, so they’re developing. I can’t comment on positions yet because I haven’t coached them.”

There’s one position group in general that he thinks will need some shoring up via roster reinforcement, though.

That’s in the trenches, where games are won and lost, particularly in the big Ten.

“In terms of scholarship numbers at positions, we’re still not where I would want to be on the O-line,” Rhule said. “I’d like to always be at 16 scholarship offensive linemen. Watching some of the non-scholarship O-linemen move, they look like scholarship O-linemen at places they’ve been. I haven’t seen them play, so I have to watch. That’s one area probably to me.”