Jeff Sims recalls going against Tony White defense at Georgia Tech

Head coach Matt Rhule is looking to revamp the Nebraska program and has brought in a ton of new people into the program. Arguably, none are as important as quarterback Jeff Sims. Grabbing him out of the NCAA transfer portal via the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Sims is expected to start for the Cornhuskers this season.

Of course, Sims is not the only new face around town. There are plenty but defensive coordinator Tony White should be a familiar face for Sims. White actually spent time game-planning against Sims during the 2020 season when he was with Syracuse. Spring practice might be a different level but Sims is happy to be going up against White once again.

“Yeah, I played against Coach White when I was at Georgia Tech my freshman year,” Sims said. “He was at Syracuse. And I knew all spring it was going to be a battle because his defense is really good. He threw a lot of different looks at us and I feel like that’s only going to make us better as an offense. Because we’ll see a lot of looks that we’ll probably see in the season.”

Sims had a decent spring game during his first season at Nebraska. He went nine of 13, throwing for 139 yards but was not able to connect with a receiver for a touchdown. An impact was made on the ground as well, getting into the end zone there.

Jeff Sims struggles against Syracuse in 2020

When Sims went up against White’s Syracuse squad during the 2020 season, things did not end too well for the Georgia Tech quarterback. It wound up being one of his worst performances of the year as the Yellow Jackets wound up on the losing end.

Sims completed 13 of 28 throws, coming in at a completion percentage of 46.4%. Only 174 passing yards and a touchdown came of it but four interceptions were thrown by the true freshman. He was able to add 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight attempts — possibly the only positive of Sept. 26, 2020.

Thankfully for Sims, White is now on his side and will be looking to terrorize other quarterbacks throughout the Big Ten. He will still get practice reps against the defense but at the same time, they are all on the same team. Getting Nebraska back on the right track is the collective goal.