Wide receivers coach Jeff Sims used his junior college ties to add nine JUCO players by Signing Day. (OwlAccess.com photo)
Happy together
Meet the new staff: For years Jeff Sims and Carl Pelini had talked about hiring the other as soon as one landed a head coaching job.
Originally published on
6/25/2012
by
Chuck King
When Jeff Sims and Carl Pelini worked together as assistants at Minnesota St., they frequently talked about how the first one to land a head coaching job would hire the other.
Pelini even considered bringing Sims to Nebraska, but Sims ultimately proved to be more valuable to the Huskers where he was - perhaps because Sims kept sending top-level JUCO players from his Fort Scott Community College program to Lincoln.
Florida Atlantic turned out to be the perfect place for a reunion.
Even before Pelini received the head coaching job at FAU back in December, Sims received the call that the pair had been awaiting for years.
“(Pelini) called me when he had a good inkling that he was going to get the job and asked me if I was interested,” Sims said. “The truth of the matter is that I told him, 'Yes,' and I hung up the phone and started jumping up and down.”
Upon officially accepting the head coaching position at FAU Pelini called Sims and offered him a job pending the usual background checks.
“I got to work the next day and sat down and talked to (Athletic Director Craig Angelos) and did everything I had to do,” Pelini said. “About noon I called (Sims) to tell him he had the job and I said “Where are you?,” - thinking, well, where are you? I'm going to fly you here – and he said “Georgia.” He just took off driving as soon as we talked.”
Upon arriving in Boca Raton, Sims immediately began the recruiting process. It wasn't until the entire staff came together that he knew for sure he'd be coaching wide receivers. However, he didn't waste any time making an impact.
As the Owls' recruiting coordinator, Sims used his junior college ties to help lure the nine JUCO players who were announced as Carl Pelini's first recruiting class in February.
Now, Sims is spending his time trying to locate Florida high school players who could improve the Owls.
“I think we are one of the best kept secrets in college football, now we have to get our name out and show what we have. I think there are kids who are tremendously close that don't know about us,” Sims said. “One of my goals is to get high school coaches to understand that when FAU offers a kid, that means something.”
Sims and the rest of the FAU coaches spent much of the spring looking for more than players who are more than simplytalented. They want to locate players who will fit the FAU style and want to be coached by the Owls' staff.
“There are tons of players in Florida. The problem is you have to find the ones who want to play for you,” Sims said. “If I recruit a kid for three months and he picks (a different school), it was a waste of time - it was a waste of time and resources. My job is to identify kids that want to be at Florida Atlantic University – that want to play for Jeff Sims and want to play for Carl Pelini.”
When Jeff Sims and Carl Pelini worked together as assistants at Minnesota St., they frequently talked about how the first one to land a head coaching job would hire the other.
Pelini even considered bringing Sims to Nebraska, but Sims ultimately proved to be more valuable to the Huskers where he was - perhaps because Sims kept sending top-level JUCO players from his Fort Scott Community College program to Lincoln.
Florida Atlantic turned out to be the perfect place for a reunion.
Even before Pelini received the head coaching job at FAU back in December, Sims received the call that the pair had been awaiting for years.
“(Pelini) called me when he had a good inkling that he was going to get the job and asked me if I was interested,” Sims said. “The truth of the matter is that I told him, “Yes,” and I hung up the phone and started jumping up and down.”
Upon officially accepting the head coaching position at FAU Pelini called Sims and offered him a job pending the usual background checks.
“I got to work the next day and sat down and talked to (Athletic Director Craig Angelos) and did everything I had to do,” Pelini said. “About noon I called (Sims) to tell him he had the job and I said “Where are you?,” - thinking, well, where are you? I'm going to fly you here – and he said “Georgia.” He just took off driving as soon as we talked.”
Upon arriving in Boca Raton Sims immediately began the recruiting process. It wasn't until the entire staff came together that he knew for sure he'd be coaching wide receivers. However, he didn't waste any time making an impact.
As the Owls' recruiting coordinator, Sims used his junior college ties to help lure the nine JUCO who in February were announced as Carl Pelini's first recruiting class.
Now, Sims is spending his time trying to locate Florida high school players who could improve the Owls.
“I think we are one of the best kept secrets in college football, now we have to get our name out and show what we have. I think there are kids who are tremendously close that don't know about us,” Sims said. “One of my goals is to get high school coaches to understand that when FAU offers a kid, that means something.”
Sims and the rest of the FAU coaches spent much of the spring looking for more than players who are more than simply talented. They want to locate players who will fit the FAU style and want to be coached by the Owls' staff.
“There are tons of players in Florida. The problem is you have to find the ones who want to play for you,” Sims said. “If I recruit a kid for three months and he picks (a different school), it was a waste of time - it was a waste of time and resources. My job is to identify kids that want to be at Florida Atlantic University – that want to play for Jeff Sims and want to play for Carl Pelini.