86 Days till Kickoff: Baylor’s #86 Ben Sims
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Ben Sims is entering his fifth season in Waco and barring utilization of a COVID year, it could be Sims' last before trying his hand at professional football. Sims is the most experienced pass catcher returning for the Bears in 2022, and he may very well be the leading receiver by the end of the season. Similar to Drake Dabney, Sims wants to be a more dominant run blocker and improve as a pass-catcher in 2022. He is an environmental science major and has made the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll an impressive six times.
2021 was Sim’s best season at Baylor. He started 13 of the 14 games and was All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. He finished third on the team with 31 receptions and is currently fifth all-time on Baylor’s leaderboard for tight-end receptions. Sims secured two catches for 43 yards and a huge touchdown in the thrilling victory over Iowa State in Waco. He added two more touchdowns and 39 yards against West Virginia and hauled in three passes for 52 yards against BYU. Against Texas, Sims had one catch for 28 yards and a go-ahead rushing touchdown. One of his largest catches of the season came against Texas Tech with Blake Shapen at the helm. The nine-yard touchdown grab helped Baylor secure the victory to finish the season undefeated at McLane Stadium and clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game. He also had four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown in the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma State. Sims had a career year finishing with 31 receptions, 361 yards, and six touchdowns.
Sims started in all six games that he played during his sophomore campaign in 2020. He finished the year with 14 receptions for 164 yards. Sims caught his first career touchdown against West Virginia (10/3); it marked the first touchdown caught by a Baylor tight end since 2017. He had his best statistical game of the year versus TCU (10/31), in which Sims had four receptions for 40 yards and two touchdowns. Sims was also honored with First-Team Academic All-Big 12 for his accomplishments in the classroom.
The San Antonio native appeared in eight games in 2019 before electing to redshirt the season after a season-ending injury. Prior to the injury, Sims made his first collegiate start against Oklahoma (11/16) and had his first two career catches for five yards against TCU (11/9).
As a true freshman in 2018, Sims appeared in only three games. He made his collegiate debut against TCU (11/17) but did not record a stat.
Coming out of Clark High School in San Antonio, Sims was a three-star recruit and the No. 38 tight end in the country, according to 247. In his senior year, Sims had 24 receptions for 444 yards and seven touchdowns. He chose Baylor over Auburn, Texas Tech, and Arizona State.