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NEW ORLEANS — Over Christmas, Blake Sims’ father Sonny asked him why he didn’t look happy.
It’s been quite a year for Sims — he was the MVP of the SEC Championship and will lead No. 1 Alabama to the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day. And potentially a national championship after that. Yet Sims recalled that his dad didn’t see the right type of emotion those accolades should evoke during the holidays.
It’s not that Sims isn’t happy. He’s just focused.
“It just hasn’t hit me yet,” Sims said Monday. “Coach (Nick) Saban lets me know like, ‘Hey, you’ve got more work to do.’ The MVP was nice and I got kind of emotional after that, but I had to realize that I’m still trying to chase a dream and I want to win a national championship.”
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The past five years have been a journey through maturation for Sims. And it’s one defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, the man who recruited him out of Gainesville, Ga., will never forget.
Sims has worked his way up from just an athlete Alabama didn’t know what to do with to third-string quarterback to backup to starter. He’s worked on the scout team, too, and if you ask any player or coach they’ll say he never complained once. Smart says Sims has been “something special to watch.”
“He will always be, no matter where I’m a coach at, a speaking point to the team,” Smart said. “We didn’t know what Blake was going to be. We knew Blake was a great kid and a great athlete. Blake has matured and matured.”
As AJ McCarron’s backup last year, he’d often help the defense out on scout team. Smart said he played those plays “like he was playing the game.” He’d look at the card, run the play, then sprint back over to the offense and get in his reps.
“It’s just his attitude and it’s infectious to be around a guy that doesn’t complain about being on the scout team,” Smart said. “He just likes playing football, and that’s kind of the way he plays out there. That’s how he plays the game. With passion and energy.
“And if every kid took that on and got better like Blake got better every year, it pays off in the end. A fifth year guy who is the leader of our program.”
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Before he really became that leader this year though, there was talk that Alabama was going to start a different quarterback. The Crimson Tide had snagged talented transfer Jacob Coker from Florida State and it was almost unanimous among media reports that he would win the job. But it was Sims who came out on top.
Doubted most of his football life — a high school coach once told him he’d only go as far as junior college — this kind of thing motivated him. There were times when Coker got more reps than Sims, but he just responded by preparing and practicing harder.
“I wanted to show (the people who doubted me) why Coach Saban chose me to be the starting quarterback of the University of Alabama and why it was the right choice,” Sims said. “I wanted to show my teammates that Coach Saban made the right choice.”
In the Iron Bowl, Sims threw three interceptions and Coker began warming up in the third quarter. Even though he’s been the starter all season, he still feels like he has to keep proving himself and early on in the second half against Auburn, things could have gone sideways for Alabama.
“I didn’t know ‘til the end of the game and I was like for real? I didn’t notice,” Sims said. “I didn’t get mad about it. Coach Saban is just trying to do what’s best for the team.”
After Coker started warming up though, Sims completed 10 of 12 passes and ran for a touchdown.
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One of the reasons he’s had so much success is thanks to Lane Kiffin. And their history goes way back.
In January 2010, Sims was committed to Alabama, but after an in-home visit from Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, he decommitted and became a Volunteer. But the decision was brief, as two days later, Kiffin left for USC and Sims recommitted to Alabama. The two ended up together in the end.
“It’s just been great,” Kiffin said. “I just wish we had longer with him to see what he’s done in such a short time and to see how we’ve adjusted to him and to think what if we had another year with him.”
Kiffin explained that Sims’ progress isn’t necessarily because of anything they did in particular — though it is a quarterback-friendly system. It was more his hard work coupled with Kiffin molding plays to his skill set.
“Really I think we probably did a poorer job at times early from a coaching standpoint of calling the game best for him,” Kiffin said. “And I think you can see the progression of the offense and his play has been about us adjusting to him and tinkering our system so it would fit him best. And he’s played as well as anybody in the country down the stretch here.”
Of all FBS quarterbacks, Sims has the seventh best passer rating at 161.92, and has completed 64.8% of his passes, which is among the top 25 quarterbacks in the country. He’s also completed 230 passes for 3,250 yards this year.
“I’m just happy for him because he’s showing he can run a system that is part NFL and part spread, and the success that he’s had, whereas a year ago I don’t think anyone would have thought about this guy potentially being drafted in the NFL,” Kiffin said. “Now he should be drafted.”
But Sims isn’t thinking about the next level. At least not yet.
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“We all have dreams to have a ring come February and I want to do that for (my team),” he said. “For the seniors, what better way to go to the NFL and have a ring on your finger and you can brag about that?”
Perhaps Sims will get the chance to do that, too.
