LINCOLN, Neb. — Let’s peer six months into the future and examine the state of the quarterback picture at Nebraska.
For the purpose of this exercise, we’re looking at two players — Casey Thompson and Jeff Sims. Both were in the news this week.
Sims, the 20-year-old former multi-year starter at Georgia Tech, committed to the Huskers on Sunday and signed Wednesday with new coach Matt Rhule.
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Thompson, the 24-year-old returning starter in Lincoln, with a master’s degree in hand, plans to return as a sixth-year senior in 2023, his father, Charles Thompson, told Husker Online in a report published Tuesday. The elder Thompson said his son, after rehabbing from shoulder surgery, expects to start.
But who’s in the lead to win the job?
It’s Sims. And he’s out front by a sizable margin.
The evidence:
• Sims is a Rhule guy. Rhule recruited him and signed him. And the connection goes way back.
The Nebraska coach crossed paths with Geoff Collins early and often in their careers. They worked on the defensive staffs at Albright (Pa.) College in 1998 and at Western Carolina from 2002 to 2005. When Rhule left Temple for Baylor in 2017, Collins succeeded him.
GT → NU
Join us in welcoming transfer QB @JeffSims_10 to the Husker Fam.#RENEW23 pic.twitter.com/6XkIQbVr04
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) December 21, 2022
Over the past three seasons while coaching the Carolina Panthers, Rhule sought to keep an eye on the college game. He often watched Georgia Tech, coached by Collins until he was fired in September.
“I fell in love with Jeff as a player early on,” Rhule said. “He’s dynamic. He’s athletic. He’s smart. He’s big. He’s got accuracy. He can throw from the pocket.”
When Sims entered the transfer portal on Nov. 27, the day after Rhule was hired at Nebraska, Rhule said he was “already sold” on the quarterback.
“I even had people in the NFL say, ‘You need to go get this guy. He’s an NFL talent.’”
So Rhule got him. It was an easy decision, the coach said.
Regarding Thompson, Rhule said he would treat every returning player at Nebraska as “my guy.”
“I’m going to coach them all the same,” he said.
Thompson’s got plenty going for him, too. He battled for the Huskers in 2022, playing through injuries to start 10 games. The former Texas starter threw for 2,407 yards and 17 touchdowns with a 63.1 percent completion rate.
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Thompson’s leadership and toughness helped keep Nebraska afloat and largely enabled it to win at Iowa to end the season.
Rhule has talked to Thompson.
“Obviously, I don’t share what I say with guys in conversations that we have,” Rhule said. “But he’s an impressive young man. He played a lot of good football. I’m looking forward to him getting healthy and moving forward.”
With Sims, Rhule has a real connection. It matters.
• Sims looks a strong fit for the offensive plan of Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.
Satterfield, by the way, is set to coach the quarterbacks, as he did at South Carolina for the past two seasons. Originally, Nebraska planned to place him in charge of tight ends. But when Jake Peetz opted to stay in the NFL, Rhule switched it up.
This arrangement was Satterfield’s preference from the start, Rhule said.
The new Nebraska offensive braintrust likes a quarterback who provides a running threat. And Sims, at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, is more suited to run than Thompson.
Sims rushed for 1,166 yards in three seasons at Georgia Tech, on par with QB Charlie Brewer’s 885 yards in three seasons at Baylor under Rhule. P.J. Walker, in his first three years with Rhule at Temple, rushed for 871.
Jeff Sims entered the transfer portal the day after Matt Rhule was hired at Nebraska in late November. (Brett Davis / USA Today)Thompson, 6-foot and 195 pounds, is a threat to move the chains with his legs. He scored nine touchdowns on the ground over the past two seasons.
And while Rhule is intent to lean on his best players and adapt Nebraska’s systems to their strengths, the edge in terms of fit, again, goes to Sims.
• The timelines favor Sims. The QBs possess comparable experience. Sims accumulated 5,616 yards of total offense in 23 starts as an ACC quarterback. He’ll be on campus next month, days after his 21st birthday. And Sims, who dealt with a foot sprain last season among other injuries in his time at Georgia Tech, should be healthy when spring practice opens in March.
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Thompson will not be ready to throw at full strength before the April 22 spring game. He could take reps in practice without letting loose. Thompson, considering his experience, doesn’t require the physical work in spring like some others at his position. He’s a relentless student of the game and would remain engaged in learning Rhule’s system if provided an opportunity.
But Sims can develop a chemistry with Nebraska receivers and widen the QB gap.
Thompson, in fact, might face more of a challenge from Logan Smothers or Heinrich Haarberg, good fits for the Rhule-Satterfield offense because of their athleticism and running ability, than the returning starter would pose to Sims.
Rhule, for what it’s worth, values intangibles above experience at QB.
“I’m just trying to find winners and put them on the field,” Rhule said.
He played Walker and Brewer as freshmen and stuck with them.
“I always look for the guys who just have ‘it,’” Rhule said. “I know that sounds crazy, but if you feel them when they play, if they’re accurate, if they’re tough, in college football if they can pick up first downs with their feet, if the team follows them, if they’re winners, you should bring them on.”
In his short time with the Huskers, Rhule has set the table for a QB competition over the months ahead that may lack the drama it initially appeared to promise.
(Top photo of Casey Thompson: Reese Strickland / USA Today)
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