Florida State has turned to one of its own to steady the defense amid a sweeping coaching shakeup, naming Ernie Sims interim defensive coordinator on Sunday evening.
The move comes as the Seminoles athletic leadership moves forward with a major overhaul that included the firing of Head Coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Tony White.
Sims, an All-American at Florida State and the No. 9 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, is in his third season on staff. According to his FSU bio, he will be in his first season as linebackers coach in 2026.
His path back to Tallahassee has included a series of roles across the state and beyond. He worked as a defensive analyst for Florida State in 2024, then served as assistant linebackers coach in 2025. That season, he helped oversee a linebacker room that featured five players with at least 35 tackles on a defense that ranked second in the ACC in pass defense and finished in the conference’s top five in total defense and sacks per game.
Before returning to Florida State, Sims spent the 2023 season as linebackers coach at UCF. There, he helped Jason Johnson earn first-team All-Big 12 honors after Johnson piled up 114 tackles, good for second in the Big 12 and 26th nationally. The Knights won six games in their first season in the Big 12 and reached the Gasparilla Bowl behind a defense that finished in the top five in the conference in passing yards allowed, pass efficiency defense, scoring defense and sacks.
Sims also spent time at South Florida from 2020 through 2022. He started there as an analyst, was promoted to linebackers coach in 2021 and then served as defensive coordinator for the final three games of the 2022 season. During his time with the Bulls, he coached Antonio Grier to second-team All-AAC recognition.
His coaching career began at FAU in 2018, where he served as strength and conditioning coordinator before moving into the role of director of football operations in 2019.
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