PHOENIX – With green and red smudges stained into his white jersey, Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims camouflaged into Iowa State’s damp grass field.
Bruised and battered, Sims was still the victor, as the Sun Devils toppled the Cyclones on the road.
It’s been a long journey for the ASU backup, and the first Saturday in November was a moment for him to relish. The strenuous victory provided him the chance to look back at those who had doubted his abilities and say, “What now?”
Sims didn’t do any of that. Overcome by emotion, he frantically searched the front row of ASU fans who made the trip to the Jack Trice Stadium, chanting his name. Finally, he found his parents, Aisha and Jeffrey Sims Sr., and collapsed into their arms.
“It meant everything man,” Sims said after the game. “Every week we do Bible study on Wednesdays. My mom, she’ll ask for prayer requests for me and my little brother. We pray every week for an opportunity to come out victorious, and our prayer was answered. They’ve been there with me every step of the way, so I’m going to acknowledge them every chance I get, win or lose.”
Losing starting quarterback Sam Leavitt for the season to a foot injury wasn’t how Sims wanted to get his opportunity, but he is making the most of it. Against the Cyclones, the senior quarterback rushed for more yards in a single game than any ASU quarterback had before, totalling 228 yards on the ground and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
He earned AP National Player of the Week honors as the Sun Devils stepped into a bye week with no practice on the schedule. How did Sims spend the week away from the field?
“I stuck around here,” Sims said. “Calmed down. Chilled a little bit. Watched a couple of movies.”
The life of a 23-year-old college kid still applies to a journeyman quarterback at this high level.
Sims’ fourth career start for the Sun Devils will be his first at Mountain America Stadium, when West Virginia will attempt to stop the Sims-led ground attack during Saturday’s Big 12 clash.
Tempe is the third college town that Sims has called home. After growing up and playing football at Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida, Sims stayed close by, committing to Georgia Tech. He played right away as a true freshman and in parts of three seasons for the Yellow Jackets.
Sims and Dillingham first crossed paths in his first career game and start in 2020. Dillingham was debuting as Florida State’s newest offensive coordinator. Sims compiled more than 300 total yards and knocked off Dillingham’s Seminoles for his first collegiate win.
Over the next three seasons, Sims battled through up-and-down play. His legs were always a threat, but he struggled to hold on to the ball. That led him to transfer to Nebraska, where he became the starter again, but couldn’t hold the job for long.
In the second game of the 2023 season, Sims had a disastrous outing in Boulder, Colorado, against Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes, throwing an interception and dropping a pair of snaps that resulted in turnovers. With the nation watching every step Colorado took in year one under Sanders, Sims was caught in the crossfire and ruthlessly ridiculed on social media for his play.
In 2024, Sims once again was in the transfer portal searching for a reset. Dillingham, entering year two of his rebuild in Tempe, joined forces with the quarterback who beat him in the field four years earlier.
In his fifth season of collegiate football, Sims competed with redshirt-freshman Leavitt for the starting job, but fell just short and played the backup role, starting just one game as the Sun Devils went on a run to the Big 12 Championship.
With just one year of eligibility remaining, Sims had to make another choice before the 2025 season. Leave, start over, and hope for one more shot at a starting role, or stick it out in Tempe as the backup to a Heisman hopeful.
Fortunately for ASU, in an era where players and coaches leave programs without a second thought, he wasn’t going anywhere.
“He’s everything that’s right with college football,” Dillingham said. “Such a great person to stay here for his teammates and to be able to get that opportunity to win that game. That’s such a cool thing for him. I’ll remember that forever.”
A journeyman quarterback is often thought of as an old, veteran NFL signal caller who has played for several teams and is just good enough to get the job done. In college, such a player is a relatively new phenomenon. Sims qualifies, given his cross-country journey. The core difference is the glue that he can be for a locker room, rather than just a backup.
“Our team has a lot of confidence in Jeff,” Dillingham said. “Jeff’s played a lot of games in college football. Our guys were fired up with how good he played and how much passion he played with, his demeanor, being calm the entire game through the good and bad. Our guys really rallied behind him.”
Sims was thrust into action on relatively short notice earlier this season after Leavitt’s foot injury kept him out against Utah. Drenched in the elements, Sims had a tough night as the Sun Devils were squashed, 42-10.
Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City is a tough place to win, but the sideways rain and short notice about starting the game made for an even tougher situation to run the offense. ASU offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, however, never lost faith in his grizzled backup.
“I’m glad that he trusted me,” Sims said of his play caller. “After the Utah game, I was kind of hurt by it. (Arroyo) told me, ‘Man, I trust you. If you get your shot again, it’s on you. I trust you.’”
A pep talk like that can make all the difference for a quarterback and the pulse of the team. Winning a national award for the week deflated some of the criticism surrounding Sims’ uneven career, but the respect of the Sun Devils is all he needs.
“He comes every day to work preparing like he’s the starter,” tight end Chamon Metayer said. “The same enthusiasm that we have with whoever’s out there, he’s going to get the same thing. We don’t just die down because of who’s in. Shoot, we rise to the occasion for anybody that’s behind that O-line.”
Sims’ record-setting day won’t be forgotten by Arizona State fans anytime soon, if ever. ASU athletic director Graham Rossini decided to enshrine Sims’ mud-riddled white jersey in the Arizona State Athletics Hall of Fame at the suggestion of a fan on X. Surrounded by ASU folk heroes such as James Harden, Phil Mickelson, and Barry Bonds, Sims finds himself right in the middle.
From the lowest of lows to starting for the defending Big 12 champions and setting records, Sims’ rise has even surprised himself.
“It was kind of surreal,” Sims said about his jersey being put on display. “I don’t feel like I really deserve all of that yet, but it was cool to see.”
The fact that Sims stayed in Tempe and did not pursue a starting opportunity elsewhere speaks to both his connection with the team, which is evident on Saturdays, and the culture that Dillingham has quickly established at his alma mater.
“Guys just love him,” Dillingham said. “He’s a man of the people. He’s just another guy out there doing his part, and he’s a great person. So, it’s fun to see him get an opportunity.”
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