The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/944586
52 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2018 BY BRANDON BROWN Atlanta Westlake four-star stand- out Myles Sims is considered the No. 14 cornerback and No. 103 overall prospect nationally, making him Michigan's highest-ranked signee. The 6-3, 173-pounder dipped a little bit in the final edition of the Ri- vals rankings after a less than stellar performance in the Under Armour All-America Game, but he's still a very talented cover corner. Michigan cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich and defensive coordinator Don Brown targeted Sims specifically because of his coverage ability and length. It's amazing to think that Sims' football career almost ended when he was just a child but, luckily for U-M, it didn't. "Myles began playing football at the age of 6, but he did not initially like the sport. He began as a quarter- back who did not enjoy getting tack- led," his mother said. "His first game resulted with him turning around in the opposite direction and scoring one for the other team. "He switched to defense and im- mediately loved tackling his oppo- nents or intercepting the football. He began training in middle school when he was nicknamed 'Spider ' due to his long arms, long legs and maneuverability in any direction." Now, Myles is enrolled early as a member of Michigan's football pro- gram. He's exactly what Zordich and Brown look for in a defensive back with his length and man-to-man cov- erage skills. Westlake head coach Ka- reem Reid thinks the fit is as perfect as it gets. "He has the speed and the length. You can't throw over him, and it's hard to get behind him too," Reid noted. "He has good ball skills. He can run a go route and get a jump ball in the red zone. That's easy for him. Cornerback Myles Sims Is Michigan's Highest-Rated Prospect STATISTICS Year Tkl. PBU INT FR 2017 17 6 2 — 2016 10 — — 1 HONORS • Tabbed an Under Armor All-Amer- ican and selected to The Atlanta Jour- nal-Constitution Class 7A All-State team as a senior. • Two-time Atlanta Journal-Constitu- tion All-Region 2-7A first-team choice (2016 and 2017). • Named one of Rivals.com's 12 de- fensive standouts at the Under Armor Future 50 camp in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 31, 2016. • Earned an invite to the Rivals Five- Star Challenge in Indianapolis in 2017. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Michigan on April 7, 2017, and never wavered on his pledge. • Special teams/linebackers coach Chris Partridge headed his recruit- ment. • Attended Michigan's BBQ at the Big House event on July 29, 2017, and bonded with the other commits in the class. • Enrolled at Michigan in January. DID YOU KNOW? • He spent the first five years of his life in Southfield, Mich., before his parents moved the clan to Georgia so they could be closer to their families. • Earned the nickname "Spider" from a young age due to having a short torso, but long legs and long arms. • His cousin, Jayla Kirkland, runs track at Florida State. • His brother, Merrick Sims Jr., plays football at Howard University. • His father, Merrick Sims Sr., played baseball at Southern University in Ba- ton Rouge, La. MYLES SIMS CORNERBACK 6-3 • 173 WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL ATLANTA RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 103 14 11 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 44 44 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 137 11 21 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 2018 Projection Cornerbacks David Long and La- vert Hill will be juniors in 2018, while Ambry Thomas and Benjamin St- Juste will be sophomores, and all of them will have at least a year of experience under their belts. Sims has the length and athleticism to play as a freshman and will only add competition to a cornerback room that is already filled with long, young corners. It'll be a battle between all of the defensive backs on the team, and Sims should be in the thick of it as a rookie and beyond. Enrolling early will also give him an advantage over the other four defensive backs in the 2018 class. 52 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2018 Rivals lists Sims, pictured with his dad Merrick, mom Katrina and head coach Jim Harbaugh, as the No. 14 cornerback and No. 103 overall player in the country. PHOTO VIA TWITTER.COM/SIMSMYLES