A familiar face is back in Tallahassee.
Ernie Sims, who played for the Florida State Seminoles from 2003 to 2005, was officially announced as the team's defensive analyst on Monday.
Head coach Mike Norvell said, “We are very happy to have Ernie return to his hometown and join our program.” “He was a great player at Florida State and in the NFL and has a wealth of football knowledge and experience as a player and coach. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to strengthen our team. As the No. 1 top prospect in the nation in high school, and as an All-American and top 10 player at Florida State University, Ernie is a great addition to not only our current team, but also the future Noll family. He will be able to have a positive impact on the guys in the NFL Draft.”
The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2003 class, Sims had a great freshman season before really taking off in his second year, recording 86 tackles (9.5 tackles for loss), a sack, two forced fumbles, and one blocked punt. , recorded five tackles. The pass was defended. He was named a first-team All-American by ESPN and College Football News (though somehow only made second-team All-ACC).
Sims finished his Florida State career with 200 tackles (95 solo, 21 for a loss), seven sacks, 19 quarterback hurries and 11 passes defensed. He opted for an early exit to the NFL and was drafted ninth overall in the 2006 draft by the Detroit Lions.
After the NFL, Sims founded the Big Hits Foundation, a youth coaching organization, and re-enrolled at Florida State University, where he earned his degree in 2018 and began his coaching career.
Sims spent seven years coaching multiple staffs at Florida State, beginning his coaching career at FAU in 2018 as the strength and conditioning coordinator and moving to director of football operations the following season. He was on USF's staff from 2020 to 2022, serving as an analyst and then linebackers coach (while also serving as defensive coordinator for several games). In 2023, he accepted the position of linebackers coach at UCF.
Full release from the State of Florida:
tallahassee – Ernie Sims, an All-American linebacker at Florida State University before being selected No. 9 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, has joined the Florida State football staff as a defensive analyst, head coach Mike Norvell said Monday. It was announced on .
“I'm very happy to bring Ernie back to the program,” Norvell said. “He was a great player at Florida State and in the NFL and has a wealth of football knowledge and experience as a player and coach. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to strengthen our team. As the No. 1 prospect in the nation in high school, and as an All-American and top 10 player at Florida State University, Ernie is a great addition to not only our current team, but also the future Noll family. He will be able to have a positive impact on the guys in the NFL Draft.”
Sims spent seven years on the college staff at Florida State, most recently as UCF's linebackers coach in 2023. There he led Jason Johnson to first-team All-Big 12 recognition after 114 total tackles. They are ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 26 nationally. The Knights won six games in their first year in the Big 12 and played in the Gasparilla Bowl with a defense that ranked among the top five in the conference in passing yards, pass-efficient defense, scoring defense and sacks.
Sims was on South Florida's staff from 2020-22, spending the 2020 season as an analyst before being promoted to linebackers coach in 2021 and serving as the Bulls' defensive coordinator for the final three games of the 2022 season. Ta. At South Florida, Sims led Antonio Grier to second-team All-AAC recognition. Sims began his college coaching career in 2018 as FAU's strength and conditioning coordinator and spent the 2019 season as director of football operations.
“I'm excited about this opportunity to return to Florida State,” Sims said. “Tallahassee is my hometown, and Florida State University has played an important role in my development both on and off the field. I have carried the lessons I learned here throughout my career, so I'm excited to come back and play soccer again.” The opportunity to contribute to the program has been very meaningful to me. It has been rewarding to watch Coach Norvell return this program to the highest level in the nation. I am grateful to be a part of his staff and look forward to working with Florida State. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the university.”
Sims was the 12th top-10 pick out of Florida State when he was selected by the Detroit Lions. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 2006 after starting all 16 games and recording 124 tackles during his rookie season. His 134 tackles in 2007 ranked fourth in the league. During his eight-year NFL career, he played in 109 games with the Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Dallas Cowboys, totaling 623 tackles, 26.0 points, 5.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, and 6 forced fumbles. innings, three fumble recoveries, and one interception.
A native of Tallahassee, Sims attended North Florida Christian University and was rated the No. 1 overall freshman in the nation in the class of 2003. In his three seasons at Florida State, Sims helped the Seminoles win his 27 games and his two ACC championships, including the inaugural ACC Championship. Game over to No. 5 Virginia Tech in 2005. He was named to the All-American First Team in 2004 and finished his career with 200 tackles, 7.0 sacks, 21.0 points per game, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and one block. Ta. kick.
After his NFL career, Sims returned to school and earned a bachelor's degree in social science from Florida State University in 2018. Mr. Sims and his wife Brooke have his four children: Ernie IV, Major, Savannah and Bella.
