Georgia Tech Football: Where Does Jeff Sims Stack up With the Rest of the ACC Coastal Quarterbacks?
In a series of articles over the next week or so, I am going to be giving my opinion on where Georgia Tech stacks up against the rest of their ACC Coastal opponents at all positions. First up is quarterbacks.
Just two years ago, Georgia Tech was entering the 2020 season with a talented young quarterback named Jeff Sims. This year, Sims will be one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the ACC Coastal, providing that he can hold off transfers Taisun Phommachanh and Zach Gibson.
He still has flashes where he shows he can be one of the best quarterbacks in the division. However, turnovers have been his biggest problem and one he hopes to correct under new offensive coordinator Chip Long and new quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. Sims development is one of the biggest keys to Georgia Tech's season and could be the difference over whether they challenge for a bowl game or not.
One quick thing I will say about these ACC Coastal quarterback rankings: any team with a new starting signal-caller that has little playing experience got put at the bottom, whether they were a talented recruit or not because they have not actually played yet.
ACC Coastal Quarterback Rankings:
7. Riley Leonard- Duke
Leonard has played sparingly as a backup but is the favorite to be the starting quarterback for Duke this fall under new head coach Mike Elko. He is last on the list due to inexperience
6. Drake Maye or Jacoby Criswell- North Carolina
Simply put, neither one of these quarterbacks has played enough for North Carolina yet to make the proper judgment. Maye is the projected favorite and was a highly-rated recruit, but it remains to be seen how good he is. They will carry their quarterback competition into the fall.
5. Jeff Sims- Georgia Tech
Sims slots right here in the ACC Coastal QB rankings. His talent level suggests that he could be higher, but his inconsistent play is going to put him in the middle of the pack. Cutting down the turnovers and another year of improvement for his accuracy are the keys. Sims did improve his accuracy to above 60% last season, but injuries hampered him as well and he did not take the leap the Yellow Jackets needed.
It is noteworthy that Georgia Tech did bring in two transfers to compete with Sims, but I think this is still his job to lose. He is a dual-threat quarterback with more passing ability than the other two and that will be the difference. An improvement year for Sims is huge for Tech this season.
4. Grant Wells- Virginia Tech
Wells was a hard guy to rank on this list. His numbers suggest he could be higher, but his turnovers and inconsistency put him right here. Wells was a two-year starter at Marshall and had some great moments, but he did not break 100 yards passing in either one of his last two games. He is the favorite to be the starting quarterback for the Hokies, who are lacking the talent around him.
3. Kedon Slovis- Pitt
Replacing a Heisman finalist in Kenny Pickett is not going to be easy, but Slovis has the talent. However, this is assuming you're getting the 2019 version of him and not the injury-plagued version of the past two seasons.
Slovis burst on the scene with a great 2019 season for USC but has struggled to stay healthy. His health could be the difference in Pitt repeating as ACC Coastal champions.
2. Brennan Armstrong- Virginia
Armstrong was a one-man wrecking crew for the Cavalier's offense last season and he is back again. The thing that is worrisome for Virginia is their offensive line is severely lacking in experience and Armstrong could be running for his life like he was for much of last season.
Throwing for nearly 4,500 yards and rushing for 250 is nothing to sneeze at and Armstrong is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country.
1. Tyler Van Dyke- Miami
Miami is an optimistic team heading into 2022 and new head coach Mario Cristobal is not the only reason for that. Tyler Van Dyke took over Miami's starting quarterback job last year and after a slow start, had a terrific end to the season and looks like he is poised to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Despite not being the full-time starter until the fourth game of the season, Van Dyke threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and had 300 yards passing in each of his final six games.
He still has to prove it over a full season, but it seems like Miami has the best quarterback in the division heading into the year.
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