Sims named Offensive Assistant/QB Coach

Gainesville, Ga. native Blake Sims has joined the Holmes Community College football coaching staff as an Offensive Assistant Coach working with the quarterbacks.

Sims, a Gainesville High School graduate, comes to Holmes from West Alabama, where he served as wide receiver coach. Prior to coaching at West Alabama, he was Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Mt. Bethel Christian Academy in Marietta, Ga.

At Gainesville, he played football and ran track his junior and senior seasons. He attended and played for Cass High School his freshman and sophomore years, starting as a sophomore. At Gainesville, 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.

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.

Sims played four seasons at Alabama, where was a running back and backup quarterback his first three seasons before winning the starting job as a senior. In December 2014, he broke Alabama single season passing yards record, which was previously held by A. J. McCarron. In 14 starts, he passed for 3,487 yards, 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He led the SEC in passing touchdowns.[12] He lost in the Sugar Bowl game in the semifinals to Ohio State, which later won the National Championship. He was a two-time National Champion and one-time SEC Most Valuable Player in 2014.

After Alabama, Sims tried out for the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins as a running back before being signed by the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. In July 2016, Sims left North America for Australia to continue his professional football career with the Wollongong Devils of the National Gridiron League. He then joined the practice squads with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before signing a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 2, 2017.

After his release by the Buccaneers, Sims was assigned to the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football. He then signed the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League and later retired from professional football.