Sims says hes down to lucky 10

Tallahassee (Fla.) North Florida Christian’s Ernie Sims is arguably the top-rated athlete in the country. The running back/linebacker is being heavily recruited by every major school in the country. Now that spring football is over with, he has narrowed his list down to ten lucky teams. It was extremely difficult process for him, but Sims focused in on how hard specific schools were recruiting him. He also factored in on where he would have the best impact.

“Florida State, Miami, Florida, Auburn, Georgia Oregon, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Michigan are my final ten schools,” Sims said.

Now that Sims has narrowed his list down somewhat, he’s ready comment on what he likes about some of his favorites.

“Miami is a great school,” Sims said. “It’s a small private school. I love the facilities there, and I love Head Coach Larry Coker. Auburn is great college town, and I love their running back coach. My family and I had a great talk with him. The running back and linebacker coaches want me to play both ways at Auburn. I’m heading out to Southern Cal this summer for their football camp. I’ve never been to California. Being from Tallahassee, I’ve met the Florida State coaches several times. I have seen the Florida State players out and about. At the track I’ve seen both Cro Thorpe and Greg Jones. I’m even considering Florida now. Ever since Spurrier, left it’s a new game. Zook is a great coach, and he was the first coach to call me. He called at 12:01 AM on May 1st, and that showed me that they wanted me. I’ve seen one of Florida’s practices, and Zook works them real hard. I like Tennessee, but their contact with me has slowed up some. I love Georgia. Roger Heinz and I went to their junior day, and Athens is a great country town that’s so down to earth. I like Coach Richt. They want me to play both ways. Michigan would be a new experience. Their head coach came by the school the other day. Oregon is really recruiting me hard."

Some recruiting fans are penciling Sims in at Florida State because of his family ties there. His mother and father are both graduates of Florida State. Sims is quick to point out that the Seminoles might not necessarily be the team to beat.

“Everyplace is equal territory,” Sims said. “I love Florida State, but the fans and coaches there think they got me. I think they are taking me for granted. I’m not being recruited as hard by them. Florida State didn’t even come by my school in May, but they did make it to my jamboree. The linebacker coach at Florida writes me every single day. That shows some real dedication.”

In the spring jamboree, Sims rushed for three touchdowns.

Look for the Sims sweepstakes to be an all-out war right up to signing day. It looks like teams like Florida, Miami, and Auburn will be throwing out everything including the kitchen sink.