Blake Sims
| No. 5 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 3, 1992 Gainesville, Georgia |
| Career information | |
| College: | Alabama |
| Undrafted: | 2015 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Blake Sims (born January 3, 1992) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Alabama and was the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback in 2014.
Early years
Sims attended Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia, where he played football and ran track. He played quarterback for head coach Bruce Miller, leading Gainesville to a 14–1 record and a state runner-up finish. He threw for 2,785 yards as a junior in 2008 while rushing for 822 yards and 15 scores. As a senior, he threw for 2,288 yards with 28 touchdowns, and rushed for 863 yards and 13 touchdowns. He twice earned AAA All-State honors by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Associated Press (AP) in 2009.
In track & field, Sims was one of the state's top sprinters. At the 2009 Gainesville Tri Meet vs Buford/Clarke Central, he won the long jump event, recording a jump of 6.58 meters. At the '2009 "Flowery Branch, West Hall, Johnson, Gainesville, Chestatee Meet", he earned first-place finishes in both the 100 meters (10.85 s) and 200 meters (21.84 s).[1] He won the 100 meters at the 2010 Battle at The Branch Invitational, at 10.84.[2] He had a personal-best time of 10.69 seconds in the 100 meters.
Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Sims was ranked as the No. 33 athlete in the nation. He was also rated eighth in the AJC's 2010 Top 50 prospects in Georgia, No. 43 player by SuperPrep. He chose Alabama over scholarship offers from Tennessee, Georgia, FSU and Michigan.[3]
College career
After spending 2010 to 2013 as a running back and backup quarterback, Sims started his first career game during the opener of his senior season in 2014 after beating Jake Coker for the job. [4][5] On September 20, 2014, he threw for 445 yards against Florida, which was the second most in school history behind Scott Hunter's 484 in 1969.[6] On December 6, 2014 Sims broke the Alabama single season passing yards record which was held by AJ McCarron.[7] In 14 starts, he passed for 3,487 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He lost in the semifinals to Ohio State, which later won the championship.
- Passing Statistics
| Season | GP–GS | Comp–Att | Pct. | Yards | TD | INT | Long | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 10–0 | 5–10 | 50.0 | 77 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 9.6 |
| 2013 | 13–0 | 18–29 | 62.1 | 167 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 20.9 |
| 2014 | 14–14 | 252–391 | 64.4 | 3,487 | 28 | 10 | 87 | 249.1 |
- Rushing Statistics:
| Season | GP–GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 5–0 | 22 | 107 | 4.9 | 0 | 45 | 21.40 |
| 2012 | 10–0 | 30 | 187 | 6.2 | 2 | 36 | 18.70 |
| 2013 | 13–0 | 15 | 61 | 4.1 | 0 | 11 | 7.63 |
| 2014 | 14–14 | 78 | 350 | 4.5 | 7 | 43 | 25.0 |
Professional career
Sims was not selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, thus becoming a free agent. He was offered an opportunity to try out with the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins (as a running back).[8][9] He was not offered a contract by either team.
Toronto Argonauts
Sims was signed by the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on May 28, 2015[10] and released June 7, 2015.[11]
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Sims was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League on July 29, 2015. He was cut Sept. 15, 2015. He was on the active roster for one game due to injuries. Roughriders traded quarterback Kevin Glenn to Montreal Oct 14, 2015. Sims was resigned to replace Glenn on October 22, 2015. Saskatchewan Roughriders added Sims their roster as #3 quarterback. Sims was on Riders roster, but never got to play for Saskatchewan. He was released by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Dec 15, 2015.
Personal life
During his junior year of high school, Sims' daughter, Kyra, was born. He married Rafaela Souza, Kyra's mother, in 2009. In 2013, after four years of marriage, Blake and Rafaela divorced when the strain of a long-distance relationship became too much (she was living in Gainesville while he was attending Alabama). While still having a good relationship with them, she and Kyra are currently residing in Gainesville.
References
- ^ "Flowery Branch, West Hall, Johnson, Gainesville, Chestatee". MileSplit GA.
- ^ "Battle at The Branch Invitational". MileSplit GA.
- ^ "Blake Sims".
- ^ "Nick Saban names Blake Sims starter for Alabama's season opener". AL.com.
- ^ "West Virginia vs. Alabama – Game Recap – August 30, 2014 – ESPN". ESPN.com.
- ^ "Nobody wanted Lane Kiffin, nobody respected Blake Sims and nobody stops them now". AL.com.
- ^ "Blake Sims sets Alabama single-season passing yards record". BamaOnLine.
- ^ "Ex-Alabama QB Blake Sims receiving praise during tryout with Packers". Retrieved 2015-05-30.
- ^ "Redskins passing on Blake Sims; ex-Alabama QB still in search of first NFL job". Retrieved 2015-05-30.
- ^ "Argos sign former Crimson Tide QB Sims". Retrieved 2015-05-30.
- ^ "Argos release ex-Alabama QB Sims". Retrieved 2015-06-07.