Louisville football adds another great fit to the coaching staff in running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield’s main focus has been and will continue to be creating a positive, winning culture.
The Cardinals look to have scored another great fit for the coaching staff in new running backs coach De’Rail Sims.
On Wednesday, Bruce Feldman was the first to report that Sims will be replacing Norvall McKenzie in the running backs room.
Sims a good fit for Louisville football
The identity and culture established under Satterfield is rooted in what he brought over from the Carolinas. Every coach on staff either came from Appalachian State or coached at a Carolina school in the past. The staff loves going into North Carolina and South Carolina and reeling in recruits.
Louisville’s newest coach comes from a similar background. Sims spent three years at James Madison before spending another three at East Carolina as the running backs coach.
Right away, given his background, Sims figures to mesh with the Louisville football coaching staff.
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Sims’ coaching style and philosophy
Last spring, Sims sat down with the American Football Coaches Association to discuss his philosophies and viewpoints on the running backs room.
Sims says his running backs are expected to get 1 percent better each day. He tells the AFCA that his goal is to recruit better athletes each year so there is always competition in practice. It is also important to win in space.
“I always tell my guys that good backs get what offensive lineman block, but the great ones go get past what the offensive linemen block,” he said.
That sounds like a mentality that could spark a winning partnership with Louisville offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.
Sims stresses the importance of paying attention to details with a “savage mentality.” He is obsessed with avoiding turnovers.
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When looking for a running back recruit, Sims places the emphasis on how well players break tackles.
“I want to see tackle-breaking ability number one,” Sims says. “And number two how many times does he hit the long runs? Number three, I want to see how he does as a receiver out of the backfield. Is he utilized as a receiver, or is he just being used as a running back?”
Play-calling familiarity
Finally, Sims empasizes exactly what made Louisville’s running game thrive over the last two seasons. He loves letting running backs make reads on the fly and make plays by hitting gaps up the middle.
“My favorite run play is inside zone because it’s a ‘feel play,'” Sims says. “I know a lot of times it’s designed to go frontside A gap, but you never know where the ball will hit at whether it’s frontside A gap, backside A gap or backside B gap. I think it’s a nasty physical play.”
Nasty and physical is exactly what the Louisville football needs to take the next step forward. The Cardinals had a ton of success running the inside zone reads last season, and to hear Louisville is bringing in another coach that brings that same mentality should be music to fans’ ears.
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