Nick Saban endorses WSSU’s Phillip Sims as a "player and a man"

Phillip Sims isn’t being talked about in many NFL Draft circles, but he did recently get one big endorsement. The Winston-Salem State quarterback got a glowing letter of recommendation from his former coach, Alabama’s Nick Saban.

Rivals.com obtained a letter the four-time NCAA Champion wrote in hopes of helping his former QB find a spot in an NFL training camp.

“I believe Phillip Sims has the mental acumen and physical tools to be an asset for a team in the National Football League,” Saban wrote. “He is hard-working, driven, tough and a coachable player.”

Sims began his career at Alabama before transferring to Virginia prior to the 2012 season. He spent one season at UVa. before heading to WSSU. After sitting out the 2013 season he split time with Rudy Johnson as the team quarterback. Sims helped WSSU to the CIAA Championship game in his lone season at WSSU.

 “I found him to be a quick study who was always ready and eager to learn,” Saban wrote. “He is a special young man who always followed direction and did things the right way. He was a natural leader both in the classroom and on the field, won numerous Scout Team Player of the Week awards, and was well liked by his peers and coaches. Phillip also served as a member of our leadership team and won the Ozzie Newsome Award.

 “I stand behind Phillip and wholeheartedly endorse him as a player and as a man.”