After coaching against UCF the past five years, Ernie Sims is now part of the Knights' staff.
Sims spent 2018-19 at Florida Atlantic and then moved to South Florida from 2020-22. Last December, Gus Malzahn tabbed the former Florida State star to coach UCF's linebackers.
"It was good," Sims said. "Speaking with Coach Malzahn, I had heard so many good things about him. Then after speaking with newly hired defensive coordinator, Addison Williams, it all just made sense. My biggest thing that I was looking for was obviously to stay in the state of Florida. I had been at FAU and obviously at South Florida.
"So the opportunity to stay in the State of Florida with my family, a lot of my family is here, that was incredible for me... It's been a blessing. I'm really excited. I'm really excited about the season ahead and just working with the staff that we have here."
A native of Tallahassee, Sims was the nation's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2003. He had a standout career at Florida State and was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.
"I actually played with some former (UCF) players," Sims said. "Kevin Smith, I played with him in Detroit for several years. Daunte Culpepper, I played with him in Detroit as well. Asante Samuel, I played with him in Philadelphia."
Sims learned quite a bit more while he was on staff at South Florida.
"The rivalry, I learned the true value of how intense it is," Sims said. You grow up in Florida and playing for Florida State, you always knew about Florida State-Florida, Florida State-Miami. But just being a part of that (War on I-4) rivalry the last couple years, it was quite the experience."
At his position of linebacker, Sims has a senior leader he can count on in Jason Johnson, who returns as a captain and UCF's leading tackler.
"I think the best way to describe Jason is quiet strength," Sims said. "He has a quiet confidence about him. He doesn't say very much, but he's consistent. He provides great stability for the room and for the defense. He's gonna show up with the right mindset and the right attitude, with the right demeanor and the right effort. Every single day. That's extremely valuable. He's somebody you can count on.
"My challenge for him, now that he's been named the captain and he's on a couple watch lists and everything, is to kind of step out of his comfort zone and lead from behind and let those younger guys know that it's okay o kind of step up and grow and everything. I'm really excited about what the season is going to offer him moving forward."
To bolster the linebacker depth, UCF added a pair of linebacker transfers during the summer, Rian Davis (Georgia) and Isaiah Paul (Washington State).
On Rian Davis:
"(I see) leadership. From the first moment he stepped on campus and the guys started working together and training, I'm always looking for guys, when we go against a little bit of adversity or some hard times, who's gonna be the guy that's going to start barking orders. That he has done. I've seen it in camp as well. I'm really excited about that. It kind of plays off well with Jason (Johnson).
"The other thing is he brings a lot of experience. I think that's going to help us a lot and help us with the younger guys as well."
On Isaiah Paul:
"He's a competitor and I like that. He's bigger than a lot of the other guys we have in the room, which is good. Going to the Big 12 with some bigger talent. We need some bigger mass. I'm real excited about him. He's a big strong boy."
Sims said the No. 1 objective was to stay healthy going into the season. No. 2 is identifying who they can count on.
"I put a list of names on the board," Sims said. "These are our rotations, but to be honest with you no job is concrete right now. It's up for competition. That's kind of how I look at it. It has to be that way. So between Rian and Jason, Isaiah and Kam Moore, TJ (Bullard) and Walter (Yates), it's really kind of open season. I'm letting them battle it out and I'm very transparent with that as well. That way the guys know they have a fair chance and they'll give everything they have."
Sims' final season in the NFL was in 2014. It was several more years until he decided he wanted to coach. He first joined FAU as an assistant strength and conditioning coordinator and a year later assumed the role of Director of Football Operations. In 2020, he was a defensive analyst at South Florida and became an on-field coach for the first time - linebackers - in 2021.
"I wanted no part of (coaching)," Sims said. "After seeing my former coaches kind of go through the process and sleeping in the office, the time that they sacrificed being around their families and everything. It was something I did not want to be a part of. But after I retired from the NFL, I wanted to be a part of that brotherhood again.
"To be very honest with you, one of the main things that drives me every single day is getting a chance to be around my boys, be around my players and coach them, hold them accountable and teach them things I've learned over life and everything. Those are the probably the most memorable moments that I have right now."
For Sims, he will always draw inspiration from his former college coach, Bobby Bowden.
"For me, the best ever was Bobby Bowden," Sims said. "I'm trying to leave a legacy for my boys. Bobby Bowden was that for me. And two generations in my family. My father and my two brothers."
Bowden is regarded as perhaps the greatest college football coach in history.
"He was relatable," Sims said. "He was iconic. All of the in my childhood experiences, learning about him and the players that he impacted, all of the stories handed down over the years. Those are the things that stick to me over the years. And then my personal experience with family. Having the non-profit and why they started it, that's poured into why I am what I am today.
"I can't tell you what my boys would say what type of coach I am, but I know what kind of coach I strive to be. I strive to be a coach of excellence. I strive to be a coach that's gonna leave a legacy for my boys. When it's all said and done, they can go back on and say, 'I want to be like Coach. I want to be a father like him. I want to be a husband like him.' That's what I ultimately strive for. I think that's what this game truly means to me. It built me to who I am right now. It made me who I am and that's why I'm so grateful for it."
