Jeremy Pernell: Nebraska’s Quandary at Quarterback

Bench Jeff Sims? A decision like that has more ramifications than you might think.

When Trev Alberts hired Matt Rhule following a sixth straight losing season for Husker football, I don't think any reasonable fan expected an immediate turnaround. This program needed to be stripped down to the studs and rebuilt from its foundation.

At the time, I felt Nebraska's athletic director had brought in the perfect coach to undertake that construction. I still do. This thing is going to take time though, folks.

That realization might be a little hard to accept for some fans who — once again — got drunk off Kool-Aid this offseason. I guess I can't really fault some Husker fans for being a little too zealous and getting over their skis with their Year 1 expectations.

After all, Matt Rhule is a proven program builder. The infrastructure he put in place in his first offseason as Nebraska's coach is impressive. He has put together a large support staff that is SEC-caliber, and his aggressive 24/7 approach to recruiting is a breath of fresh air. Rhule is an exceptional communicator, and his transparency is a stark contrast to Scott Frost. Rhule did a great job of unifying the fanbase this offseason.

This week, Rhule told reporters, "I'm not going to change. We're going to double down on our process." I love that approach. Don't second-guess the blueprint that has worked for you twice already. Don't panic, don't grow impatient, don't cut corners. Fans may grow uneasy, but the payoff will come. It's just not going to be in 2023, and some fans are having a tough time coming to grips with that. But it'll come.

We're seeing the foundation being laid on defense. Defensive coordinator Tony White has already shown proof of concept. He and the rest of the defensive staff have done a remarkable job. Players who languished under the tutelage of the previous staff have taken incredible strides in their development. Omar Brown, DeShon Singleton, John Bullock, Javin Wright, Mikai Gbayor and Jimari Butler are off milk cartons and playing really good football. True freshmen Cameron Lenhardt, Princewill Umanmielen and Riley Van Poppel are seeing significant reps upfront, and you're not seeing a drop-off with them and a guy like Ty Robinson.

What has happened, however, is that the immediate success on defense has caused a dichotomy among fans. On one hand, they knew it was going to be a gradual process to get Nebraska relevant again. But this is a nine-win defense and it's being wasted. The point of contention is Marcus Satterfield and his inept offense, and the focus of their ire is quarterback Jeff Sims.

I understand the philosophy behind bringing in a veteran from the portal who fits what you want to do on offense. I agree with that strategy. On the surface, getting Sims seemed like a big win. He'd started two dozen games in the ACC and still had two seasons of eligibility remaining. Matt Rhule had spent time evaluating him before taking the Husker job. Sims had played for one of Rhule's longtime assistants. The vetting process was ideal.

Heading into spring, Nebraska had two quarterbacks who had started over 20 games at the Power Five level. That's almost unheard of, especially in the transfer portal era. Returning starter Casey Thompson couldn't participate while he recovered from a shoulder injury. In the meantime, Rhule's hand-picked guy enjoyed a strong spring. Rather than taking the competition into fall camp, Rhule decided to build on Sims' momentum and have him take over the team. He advised Thompson to look for a starting opportunity elsewhere through the portal.

Hindsight being what it is, if he had it to do over again, I don't think Rhule makes that same decision. I believe his entire approach with Sims would have been different. It would have been better to try and sell him on using his available redshirt with the idea of competing for the job in 2024 after Thompson exhausted his eligibility. If Sims wasn't open to that, then you shake hands and agree you're not a good fit for each other.

Unfortunately, that's not the reality you're faced with. Instead, just two games into his tenure at Nebraska, Rhule finds himself in a precarious situation at quarterback.

Not only has Jeff Sims been a colossal disappointed thus far, he's actually been a detriment to the team. He has started and finished 19 offensive drives this season. Eight of them (42%) have ended in a turnover. In fact, in seven full quarters on the field, Sims has been personally responsible for seven of those turnovers.

The reality of the situation is that this shouldn't come as a surprise. You don't have to be an analytics guru to see he's turnover prone. Look at the numbers. He committed 30 turnovers in 25 games while at Georgia Tech. Now with 37, Sims leads active Big Ten players in career turnovers. At what point do you just accept that's who he is?

The problem is that the gap between Sims and backups Heinrich Haarberg and Chubba Purdy is substantial. From what I've been told by multiple people who have watched practices in both spring and summer, Sims looks good when things are scripted. The rhythm of the offense is noticeably different with Sims running things. Then you see him on Saturdays. That's the rub. And it's been that way with Sims for going on four seasons now.

The knee-jerk reaction is to bench Sims and insert Haarberg. But there's so much more that goes into a decision like that. This isn't Madden. You can't just throw guys in and out of the lineup depending on the mood of the fanbase.

Look, I'm not saying Sims hasn't been a disaster. I think I've made my opinion of him clear. But what happens if you put Haarberg in there and he's even worse? Remember, the difference between how these guys have looked all offseason is significant. If you pull Sims now, you pretty much have to be committed to rolling with Haarberg for the rest of the season, good or bad.

And it may seem trivial, but also keep in mind Sims was voted one of the recipients of a single-digit jersey number. That's 100% the players who decide that. That means his teammates believe in him. You pull him now and you're basically telling everyone that you're punting on the season and going full-on rebuild mode. That's changing the narrative that you've sold not only to the media, but the players too.

While we've already established that Nebraska is absolutely in a rebuild, Rhule has commented several times that he thinks he can win now. On multiple occasions, he's talked about feeling a responsibility to veterans like Luke Reimer, Quinton Newsome, Ty Robinson, Nick Henrich and Ethan Piper to win this year.

Pulling a multi-year starter at quarterback who the players rallied behind coming out of fall camp for a guy who had only seen snaps as a hybrid receiver until Sims got injured paints a clear picture. You're building for the future. Does that divide the team? Do you lose the locker room? I don't think that's likely in Year 1 of a rebuild, but it's something coaches must take into consideration.

So what does Matt Rhule do? Nebraska has two winnable home games coming up starting tomorrow. If Sims is healthy, do you use these games to try and get him settled and hope the offense finds some consistency in time for Big Ten play? Do you start Haarberg and use these next two games to get him up to speed and hopefully allow him to gain some confidence and get comfortable?

Fans are disheartened by the 0-2 start knowing the team could very well be 2-0 had there been even average play from the offense. But this season isn't over. Nebraska's defense will continue to get better as the season progresses and the Blackshirts should keep the Huskers competitive in most of their games.

It all boils down to whether or not this offense can grow under Satterfield's guidance, regardless of who is under center. Will they establish an identity and stop giving the ball away like they're trying to earn an invitation to their opponent's postseason team banquet? The answer to that question will directly correlate to whether or not Nebraska finishes the season playing in a bowl game.