Nebraska QB Jeff Sims enters transfer portal
Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims has officially entered his name in the transfer portal.
Sims spent the 2023 season at Nebraska after three years at Georgia Tech, from 2020-22. In his lone campaign with the Huskers, Sims played in five games and started the first two before a high ankle sprain sidelined him, giving an opportunity to backup quarterback Heinrich Haarberg, who wound up starting the next eight contests.
Sims’ time in Lincoln was marred by injury, but also turnovers. He fumbled four times and lost all of them. Two came in the loss at Colorado. One was returned for a touchdown against Purdue.
Sims also struggled with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s pass game, completing 59.6 percent of his throws (28-of-47) for 282 yards and one touchdown. He threw six interceptions in the three games he attempted a pass. A dual-threat, Sims rushed for 189 yards and one score.
"I don't regret taking Jeff. I think Jeff has been an amazing teammate, and I've loved having him here," Matt Rhule said this offseason. "I think he can do a lot of things to help a football team. I wish we would have done a better job by him maybe in some ways. Helped him more."
Sims has two years left to play one season.
Sims' departure would leave two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in Haarberg and Chubba Purdy, who saw backup duty in six games in 2023 and started the final two against Wisconsin and Iowa. Both Haarberg and Purdy have two seasons of eligibility left.
“I just think with further development — those guys have two years left — I think they're gonna be good players,” Rhule said of Purdy and Haarberg. “I’m not stupid — that doesn't mean I'm not looking for everything (in the transfer portal). I'm just trying to be very diligent about the process and making sure we always think long term, unless someone's a huge impact player (right away).”
There are also two walk-on quarterbacks at Nebraska, including Luke Longval, who spent the 2022 season at Iowa Western Community College, and Jack Woche, a transfer from Ole Miss. Longval traveled with the team to Minnesota, Colorado and Wisconsin as an emergency option.
As of this writing, the Huskers have one quarterback committed in the 2024 recruiting class — Daniel Kaelin, a three-star recruit and local product out of Bellevue West High School in Omaha.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Kaelin was an Elite 11 finalist this past summer. During the event, he won the Accuracy Challenge with 56 points, which just beat out Julian Sayin, an Alabama commit.
Sims becomes the third scholarship Husker this offseason to enter his name in the transfer portal, joining tight end Jake Appleget and defensive back Tamon Lynum. Defensive back Javier Morton transferred out of the program in October as well.
Enjoying Inside Nebraska? CONSIDER AN ALL-ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION for less than $2/week to unlock all of our premium articles and sound off on the hot topics on our INSIDER'S BOARD
=========================