North Florida Christian is set to give Ernie Sims a night of his own.
The school will retire Sims’ No. 34 jersey at halftime of its home game against Marianna, making sure that number never appears again on the grass where he built his reputation. Sims starred at NFC before becoming the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in 2003, and he left the school with four state championships on his résumé.
Sims’ path from there only added to the legend. He spent three seasons at Florida State, where he became one of the Seminoles’ most decorated linebackers and earned All-American honors.
In that stretch, he piled up 200 tackles, including 21.0 for loss and 7.0 sacks, along with three forced fumbles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He also helped FSU to a pair of ACC titles.
That college career made him a top-10 NFL Draft pick, with the Detroit Lions taking him No. 9 overall in 2006. Sims went on to play eight years in the league, finishing with 623 total tackles, 26.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception. His NFL stops included the Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys.
Now, Sims is back at Florida State as the linebackers coach. Even with the Seminoles going through some struggles, his linebacker group has been one of the team’s strengths, led by Chris Jones.
North Florida Christian enters the night at 2-6, while Marianna comes in at 3-4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with NFC hoping to pull off a surprise on a memorable evening for one of its greatest alums.
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Florida State Basketball Faces A Test Luke Loucks Cant Buy Away
Florida State heads into the season with a roster spending estimate somewhere between $7.1 million and $9.9 million, a figure that sits well below the $13.5 million average for Power Five programs and Gonzaga. In the current college basketball economy, that gap matters, and it puts a premium on every evaluation decision the Seminoles make as they try to keep pace with deeper-pocketed programs across the sport.
Still, Luke Loucks has already shown that money does not have to define the ceiling. Florida State beat Auburn and LSU in preseason games despite those SEC programs spending more, and that is the kind of early evidence the Seminoles need if they are going to stay relevant in the ACC race. The real test will come in how well Loucks continues to identify and develop those post-hype sleepers, because that is the path that could keep Florida State in the NCAA tournament conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Duce Robinson Suddenly Carries A Huge Burden For Florida State
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Duce Robinson now looms larger in that plan. The senior wide receiver has flashed at times this season, and Florida State is expected to lean on him more heavily while also working in other targets such as Jayvan Boggs. The Seminoles also have to be careful with quarterback Jordan Traviss rushing usage because of injury concerns, which only adds to the pressure on Robinson to help carry the offense into a difficult conference test. [Read more 🡒]
FSUs Clemson Push Says A Lot About The Doak Problem
Florida State is trying to turn the Clemson game into more than just another ACC date. The school announced Operation Garnet Storm for the Oct. 31 matchup at Doak Campbell Stadium, layering in Halloween activities, concession specials, a halftime drone show and a ticket promotion that also covers the NC State game through Oct. 25 as the Seminoles look for ways to make the home atmosphere feel bigger.
The push says plenty about where things stand on game day in Tallahassee. Attendance at Florida State home games has dropped from last season, and the university is clearly leaning on extra entertainment and discounted seats to spark more interest as Clemson comes to town. Whether that kind of promotion can shift the mood around Doak is the question hanging over the effort. [Read more 🡒]