Blake Sims (born January 3, 1992) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He played college football at

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

and was the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback in

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Early years

Sims attended Gainesville High School in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

, where 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 A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

, and rushed for 863 yards and 13 touchdowns. He twice earned AAA All-State honors by

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

and the

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(AP) in 2009. In

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, Sims was one of the state's top sprinters. At the 2009 Gainesville Tri Meet vs Buford/Clarke Central, he won the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

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 The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

(21.84 s). He won the 100 meters at the 2010 Battle at The Branch Invitational, at 10.84. He had a personal-best time of 10.69 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

. Regarded as a four-star recruit by ''

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'', 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 Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, FSU and

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

College career

After spending 2010 to 2013 as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

and backup quarterback, Sims started his first career game during the opener of his senior season in 2014 after beating

Jake Coker Bryant Jacob "Jake" Coker (born August 4, 1992) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Florida State and Alabama. He won the national championship with the Alabama Crimson Tide in his senior year in 2015. Early ...

for the job. On September 20, 2014, he threw for 445 yards against

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, which was the second most in school history behind Scott Hunter's 484 in 1969. On December 6, 2014, Sims broke the Alabama single season passing yards record, which was previously held by

A. J. McCarron Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. McCarron played college ...

. 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.

College statistics

Professional career

Sims was not drafted in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previo ...

, thus becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was offered an opportunity to try out with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

and the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

as a running back. He was not offered a contract by either team.

Toronto Argonauts

Sims was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...

on May 28, 2015 and released June 7, 2015.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Sims was signed by the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded i ...

of the

on July 29, 2015. He was cut September 15, 2015, having been on the active roster for one game. Roughriders traded quarterback

Kevin Glenn Kevin Glenn, Jr. (born June 12, 1979) is a former American professional Canadian football quarterback. He was originally signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played c ...

to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

October 14, 2015, and Sims was re-signed to replace Glenn. He did not appear in any games for the Roughriders and was released on December 15, 2015.

Wollongong Devils

In July 2016, Sims left North America for Australia to continue his professional football career with the Wollongong Devils of the National Gridiron League.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 13, 2016, Sims was signed to the Falcons' practice squad. He was released on September 23.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On December 28, 2016, Sims was signed to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 2, 2017. He was waived on August 28, 2017.

Birmingham Iron

After his release by the Buccaneers, Sims was assigned to the

Birmingham Iron The Birmingham Iron were a professional American football franchise based in Birmingham, Alabama, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played the ...

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

. In the league's quarterback draft on November 27, he was retained by the Iron with their second-round selection. He was placed on injured reserve on February 27, 2019, and waived from injured reserve on April 1, 2019.

Frisco Fighters

On February 27, 2022, Sims signed with the

Frisco Fighters The Frisco Fighters are a professional indoor football team based in Frisco, Texas. A member of the Indoor Football League, the Fighters play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team was set to participate in the 2020 season, but were ...

of the

Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...

. On August 25, 2022, Sims would retire from professional football.

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bioToronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Blake 1992 births Living people People from Gainesville, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) African-American players of American football American football quarterbacks American football running backs Alabama Crimson Tide football players Atlanta Falcons players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Birmingham Iron players American players of Canadian football Canadian football quarterbacks Toronto Argonauts players Saskatchewan Roughriders players 21st-century African-American sportspeople