Jeremy Pernell: Bringing in a Fit at Quarterback

In the case of Nebraska portal addition Jeff Sims, dual-threat doesn’t mean run-first

Second in a series on Nebraska football’s transfer additions heading into fall camp.

Despite inheriting quarterback Casey Thompson, who started 10 games for the Huskers last season after transferring from Texas, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield chose to bring in their own guy.

This shouldn't have come as a surprise, however. If there is one thing that is tried and true when a new head coach takes over a program, it's that finding "his" quarterback is usually the first order of business.

Thompson was a good leader and well-liked by his teammates. He completed 63% of his passes for 2,407 yards and 17 touchdowns, while adding five rushing touchdowns. His single-season passing yardage ranks seventh in school history, and his passing touchdowns are tied for 10th. With 20 career starts (10 at Texas), this staff would have felt confident with him at the helm.

Even so, I liked their decision to bring in a guy who fit the vision of their offense. Besides, Thompson battled through an assortment of injuries last fall, including a left wrist sprain, a left calf contusion, a hip pointer and nerve damage to his right elbow. He also sustained an injury to his AC joint that required offseason surgery to repair.

That injury ensured Thompson would miss spring ball and not be allowed to participate fully until summer camp. Having a guy who could challenge Thompson for the starting spot while getting valuable reps in spring was something they couldn't pass up.

Jeff Sims entered the transfer portal on Nov. 27, the day after Rhule was introduced as Nebraska's head coach. Almost immediately, Rhule zeroed in on him as his guy. During his signing-day press conference in December, Rhule called Sims an NFL talent and said multiple personnel people in the league had encouraged him to go after Sims.

Rhule watched a lot of Georgia Tech games while he was still with the Carolina Panthers because of his connection with former Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins. He was well aware of Sims' talent and knew how he could fit in his offense.

Nebraska was able to get Sims on campus Dec. 9-11 as part of a huge, 18-player visit weekend that consisted of high school and portal targets.

Sims received heavy interest from Virginia Tech and Indiana, among others, but on Dec. 18, he publicly committed to the Huskers over Cincinnati, who he had also visited.

Originally part of the 2020 recruiting class, Sims was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals and ESPN, with the latter ranking him the No. 88 overall player in the country. A one-time Florida State commit, he would later flip to Georgia Tech and sign with the Yellow Jackets.

Sims was a highly regarded dual-threat quarterback. He was invited to both The Opening and Elite 11 Finals. He was also chosen to play in the prestigious Under Armour All-American Game. He arrived on campus in Atlanta as one of the most decorated recruits in Georgia Tech history.

Despite not enrolling until early July, Sims became the first true freshman to start a season opener for the program since 2003 - but he was thrust into the starting lineup under less-than-ideal circumstances. Georgia Tech had its spring shortened because of COVID and wasn't afforded the benefit of a traditional summer camp, either.

On top of that, Georgia Tech was moving away from the triple-option offense. Essentially, you had a kid who was thrown into the fray despite not being ready. Sims was leading a unit that featured players recruited for a different style of offense without a full offseason to acclimate to a brand new system.

Sims started 10 games in 2020, throwing for 1,881 yards, with 13 touchdowns but also 13 interceptions, completing just 54.9 percent of his passes.

He took steps forward as a passer and got incrementally better during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, showing flashes of being a high-level player. But overall, inconsistent play and injuries hampered Sims during his time in Atlanta. It also didn't help that he never had much of a supporting cast around him.

In his three seasons at Georgia Tech, Sims played in 24 games, making 23 starts. He completed 364-of-633 passes (57.5%) for 4,464 yards, 30 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He added 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns on 277 attempts (4.2 ypc) on the ground. He leaves Georgia Tech ranking seventh in school history in both passing yards and total offense.

As a coach who puts a ton of stock into metrics and traits, it's easy to see why Rhule homed in on Sims. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he has an extremely strong arm and has shown flashes of being a dangerous runner as well.

We still don't have a clear picture of what Satterfield's offense will look like at Nebraska. He didn't ask Spencer Rattler to do too much run-pass option stuff at South Carolina (5.6 rushes per game), but that's to be expected. Rattler isn't near the athlete Sims is.

At Temple, though, we saw Satterfield utilize PJ Walker in the run game, especially in 2014 when he averaged 8.8 carries per game. He wasn't the coordinator, but was on staff at Baylor in 2018 and 2019 when Rhule morphed his offense into a system that had quarterback Charlie Brewer leading the team in rush attempts both seasons, averaging 10 carries a game.

I'll be very interested how much running they ask Sims to do. It's a fine line with his injury history and the lack of depth behind him. It will be very tempting because we've seen how effective he's been going against teams in the ACC. This staff knows how huge getting to a bowl game would be in Year 1. The previous staff couldn't help but overuse Adrian Martinez in the RPO game - to both his and the team's detriment. Can this staff find a sweet spot?

Make no mistake, however, Sims isn't a run-first quarterback, so limiting his carries won't stifle him in this offense. The threat of his legs, even if his designed runs are limited, will still be a headache for opposing defensive coordinators.

Sims arrived in January and by all accounts had a very good spring. He established himself as the clear No. 1 quarterback, which resulted in Casey Thompson transferring to Florida Atlantic.

Thanks to the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility for the 2020 COVID season, Sims will have three years left to play two seasons. He has always teased with his immense potential; will he finally break through and take off as a player?

How quickly can Sims and his teammates get acclimated to Satterfield and vice versa? It could be a bumpy ride this season, but if Sims comes back for his senior year in Lincoln, things could really click in 2024.

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There's an old adage in football that suggests the only time you hear the long snapper's name is if he does something bad. So with any luck, after today, you won't hear the name Marco Ortiz again. No offense.

Matt Rhule targeted Ortiz as a replacement for departing long snappers Brady Weas, who handled the long-snapping duties for the punt unit, and Cameron Pieper, who handled the field goal and PAT units.

Rated a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 6 overall snapper coming out of high school by Rubio Long Snapping, Ortiz joined the Florida Gators as a walk-on in the 2018 class. After redshirting and appearing in just two games over the next two seasons, Ortiz worked his way up to become the Gators' starting long snapper in 2021. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Ortiz was placed on scholarship partway through the season. He started all 13 games and didn't muff a single snap.

Heading into the 2022 season, Ortiz was named to the watch list for the Patrick Mannelly Award, which is given annually to the nation's best long snapper. Unfortunately, he appeared in only one game after suffering an arm injury during Florida’s season opener against Utah. Ortiz decided to enter the transfer portal on Oct. 26 while recovering from the injury.

He was approached by a few schools rather quickly, and even more inquired after the regular season ended. He was still weighing his options when Matt Rhule contacted him and persuaded him to take an official visit.

Ortiz was in Lincoln for the same Dec. 9-11 recruiting weekend as Jeff Sims and committed to the staff during his visit. Ortiz has NFL aspirations and likes the idea of playing for Ed Foley, who was with Rhule at the Carolina Panthers.

Ortiz ranks as the No. 2 long snapper according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. He was a redshirt junior this past fall, though he could potentially have two years of eligibility if he wanted and received a medical hardship waiver. Whether or not he seeks that depends on his NFL prospects. The 2023 season will be his sixth college season, and he would like to move on to the professional level if that door is open to him.