With spring ball in the books, Jeff Sims is ready for the next step in Nebraska's quarterback battle
Shortly after Matt Rhule took over as Nebraska’s new head coach, he hand-picked Jeff Sims to push for the starting quarterback job.
From what Sims showed during his first four months in Lincoln, Rhule couldn’t be much happier with the Georgia Tech transfer’s progress.
“Jeff is really cool and calm out there,” Rhule said. “I like his demeanor and feel. He’s played a lot of football, so I thought he looked pretty good.”
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The 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior made his unofficial Husker debut in last weekend’s Red-White Spring Game. Sims had an efficient day, completing 9-of-13 passes (69.2%) for 139 yards. He also showcased his mobility by breaking a tackle for a seven-yard touchdown run.
It wasn’t a perfect performance, as he fumbled the ball twice but was lucky enough to recover both. As far as what Rhule wanted to see from Sims in the scrimmage, though, he checked nearly every box.
“He’s a passer who runs 4.4,” Rhule said. “He’s not a runner that throws; he’s a passer. I think he does some things with his legs, extending plays. So that’s really what we’re looking for from him… I thought it felt pretty good when he was out there.”
Sims has embraced a healthy QB competition
For Sims, the spring game was just the latest step in his bid to earn Nebraska’s No. 1 quarterback job this offseason.
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The Huskers entered the spring with six scholarship QBs, including Casey Thompson, arguably NU’s most valuable player last season.
With Thompson now in the transfer portal and officially out of the mix, it appears Sims has a clear path to solidify the job this fall.
Junior Logan Smothers and Redshirt freshman Richard Torres entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Tuesday, leaving three scholarship QBs.
Sims has no plans of changing his approach since arriving in Lincoln.
“I’m looking at it the same way I did in the spring: just go out there, focus on yourself, get better,” Sims said. “Competition is competition. That’s just how it is. You’ve just got to go out there and focus on yourself and just get better.”
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While Nebraska’s scholarship quarterbacks are all competing for one starting spot, Sims said the room had been nothing but supportive. Rather than harbor resentment, he said the Husker QBs had been driving each other daily to be at their collective best.
“We’ve been feeding off each other and pushing each other,” Sims said. “I think that’s something that has helped us a lot throughout the spring. Helping each other out, pushing each other, competing. I think that always drives us to be better.”
