Ernie Sims Jr. embraced his new role just as any Florida State fan would expect considering his All-American resume and personality: Head on.
Sims has been a linebackers coach at South Florida (2021-22) and UCF (2023) before arriving at FSU, where he was an analyst (2024), assistant linebackers coach (2025) and then promoted to linebackers coach in December. He filled in as USF’s interim defensive coordinator in 2022, a role he also takes on at FSU when he was elevated after Tony White’s dismissal.
“My first thought was I got a job to do,” Sims said on “Inside Seminole Football” on Monday night. “I have an obligation to not only this football program, to the city of Tallahassee but to these young men. They made a commitment to start this season and my job is that I usher them to the finish line.”
Similar to Rick Stockstill’s new role as interim head coach, Sims feels a sense of responsibility as an FSU alum to not just do the job but also help the Seminoles (3-5, 1-4 ACC) maximize their skills and turn the defense around.
“It adds a lot,” Sims said. “It comes down to the standard and the legacy that I’m chasing. I vividly remember how Bobby Bowden had an impact on me. The man that I have become and the father and obviously the player, me being a student-athlete here. That’s what I’m excited about for the opportunity that I have right now.”
Sims was an All-American in 2004 and finished his FSU career with 200 tackles, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He was known for causing havoc and, when asked by host Tom Block about Mickey Andrews, delivered a simple answer about what the longtime defensive coordinator instilled in him.
“Violence on the ball,” Sims said.
He expressed confidence in FSU’s defensive assistants and the job ahead, which began with a Tuesday practice. The Seminoles will play at Boston College on Saturday at noon (ACC Network). FSU is 105th in the FBS in scoring defense under White, allowing 28.9 points per game, but the number jumps to 34.5 in the Seminoles’ six games against Power 4 opponents.
Sims was asked about juggling his job as a linebackers coach with now adding the interim defensive coordinator job.
“But now as a coordinator I have to make sure I’m doing a really good job of delegating responsibilities,” Sims said. “Making sure that as a staff, we’re being efficient with our time and being clean with our teaching.”
When asked about finding more consistency within a game, Sims quickly said “confidence” and then said it was important to remind the players that they are a good football team.
“Our staff and we have talked about all of the new developments happening, ‘Where can we make a greater impact with these kids?’ And it starts with that confidence,” Sims said. “That confidence is going to spew over to being more consistent. They’re going to be aligned better. They’re going to know what to do, who they are leveraging the ball to. And they’re going to play faster, because they’re confident.”
Sims, 41, was an eight-year NFL veteran and has been coaching less than a decade, even factoring in time as an analyst as well as roles at Florida Atlantic as a strength and conditioning coordinator (2018) and director of operations (2019). But he is delegating and diving in as the Seminoles wrap up the back third of the season.
“I’ve said it before, I’m drinking water through a fire hydrant right now,” Sims said. “There’s so many new nuances to the state of where we are right now. But I’m grateful. We have a group of men in that defensive staff room that are committed. We want to make sure that we do right by these kids and do it the right way.”
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