A new name appeared on Monday’s transactions list for Canadian Football and it was former Alabama quarterback, Phillip Sims. Sims was added to the Saskatchewan Roughriders roster, weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He spent his collegiate years as a journeyman, bouncing from Alabama to Virginia before ultimately landing the quarterback job at Winston Salem State.
Sims accounted for 163 passing yards and two interceptions at Alabama in 2011 (redshirted in 2010), while tossing for 1,560 yards and 15 touchdowns to four picks in 11 games at Winston Salem State in 2013. Academic ineligibility forced him to leave Virginia for the Rams at the time.
The Chesapeake, Virginia native would land two NFL opportunities, despite not being taken in the 2015 NFL Draft. Arizona and Seattle signed him, but both released him prior to the season starting.
In high school, Sims was a can’t miss talent.
He set a career record for passing yards (10,725) and touchdowns (119) in four years at Oscar Smith. Sims becomes the second ex-Crimson Tide quarterback to get picked up by the CFL under Nick Saban. Blake Sims was signed by the Roughriders on July 29, 2015, but was cut two months later.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
