Just because an Alabama player leaves the program, doesn’t mean he loses support from head coach Nick Saban.
In 2012, Alabama quarterback Phillip Sims transferred to Virginia after losing the starting quarterback battle to AJ McCarron. He amassed 1,263 yards passing and nine touchdowns during his four starts at Virginia, but left that program after being found to be academically ineligible.
He could have rejoined Alabama as he sat out 2013 and competed for a job in 2014, but he decided to play his final collegiate season on scholarship at Division II Winston-Salem State.
But once he left Alabama, he apparently kept in close contact with Saban, who this week wrote a letter to NFL scouts — obtained by the Tuscaloosa News — to help promote Sims’ case.
I believe Phillip Sims has the mental acumen and physical tools to be an asset for a team in the National Football League. He is hard-working, driven, tough and a coachable player.
Sims was not invited to the NFL Combine, but instead participated in Wake Forest’s Pro Day and impressed scouts there. Sims had 1,560 yards and 15 touchdowns last season for Winston-Salem State, and the team finished 9-2.
Saban has had 41 Alabama players drafted into the NFL during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. While Sims may not technically count toward that tally, this letter to scouts shows that Saban wants him in the NFL as badly as his current Alabama players.
Here’s more of what Saban said about Sims in the letter, according to the Tuscaloosa News:
I found him to be a quick study who was always ready and eager to learn. He is a special young man who always followed direction and did things the right way. He was a natural leader both in the classroom and on the field, won numerous Scout Team Player of the Week awards, and was well liked by his peers and coaches. Phillip also served as a member of our leadership team and won the Ozzie Newsome Award.
I stand behind Phillip and wholeheartedly endorse him as a player and as a man.
