Sims Waiting on New Tulsa Coach

(This article originally appeared on tulsa.rivals.com.)

A recent Tulsa commitment from Arlington (Texas), who was told just this past week by Steve Kragthorpe that the ex-Tulsa coach "would be at Tulsa for a long time", is now reconsidering his commitment.

Kenny Sims, a four-year starter at Seguin High School in Arlington, committed to Kragthorpe's Golden Hurricane this past week. Hearing the news from his high school coaches Tuesday that Kragthorpe was moving on to Louisville "changed everything immediately," according to Sims.

"Tulsa was pretty cool, I fit in real well, and I liked the city a lot," Sims said Tuesday. "But now I'm going to have to wait to find out who the new coach will be."

While Sims said there is a lot to like about Tulsa, even without Kragthorpe, North Texas has recently made a big push based on the hiring of famed ex-Southlake Carroll coach Todd Dodge. Dodge led Southlake Carroll on a 77-1 run over the last several years and left a big impression on Sims. He said Tuesday that North Texas is definitely next in line behind Tulsa.

Sims chose Tulsa over scholarship offers from UNLV, UTEP, Purdue, Wisconsin and Wake Forest, and liked the proximity of Tulsa's campus to his home. The drive is about four hours, according to Sims, and the school felt "just right".

Potential suitors have been divided on whether Sims will play inside linebacker or outside linebacker in college. At 6-feet, 215 lbs., he is seen as a bit of a tweener: small for ILB, a bit slow for OLB. Sims, however, isn't satisfied with his current skills, and will be working hard this semester to improve his footspeed.

"I need to get faster," the all-District 7 selection said. "I'm pretty strong, and I bring a strong work ethic, but I need to keep working on my speed."

Sims plans to watch the Tulsa situation closely, and wants to make a decision on his future college within the next couple weeks.